ABSTRACT
Yttrium-90 (90 Y) radioembolization is a catheter-based therapy that delivers internal radiation to hepatic tumors in the form of microspheres. 90 Y can be delivered to the hepatic tumor as either a constituent of a glass microsphere, TheraSphere® , or as a biocompatible resin-based microsphere, SIR-Spheres® . Once embedded within the tumor microcirculation, these microspheres emit β-radiation at therapeutic levels. While the technical aspects of radioembolization are quite complex, the collective clinical experience presented in the literature supports the use of 90 Y radioembolization for unresectable hepatic malignancies.
KEYWORDS
TheraSphere®
- SIR-Sphere®
- radioembolization - yttrium-90 - hepatocellular carcinoma - metastatic disease to the liver - liver cancer - liver tumor
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Riad SalemM.D.
Director of Interventional Oncology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
676 N. St. Claire, Suite 800, Chicago, Illinois 60611