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A chance to live a longer, better life.

Y-90 radioembolization is a novel approach to aggressively attack liver cancer.

Primary and metastatic liver cancer is one of the most difficult types of cancer to treat. Unfortunately, liver tumors are often inoperable because they may be too large, or they have grown into major blood vessels or other vital structures. Sometimes, many small tumors are spread throughout the liver, making surgery too risky or impractical.

As a result, surgical removal is not possible for more than two-thirds of primary liver cancer patients and more than 90 percent of those with metastasized liver cancer. Traditional radiation may also be used to treat liver tumors, but the high doses required to have an impact usually result in poor quality of life and extremely low survival rates.

Y-90 Radioembolization Michigian

Y-90 RADIOEMBOLIZATION: ADVANCED TREATMENT FOR LIVER TUMORS

There is another option. While not a cure, it can destroy or slow the growth of tumors to extend or improve your quality of life.
Also known as Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), Y-90 radioembolization received FDA approval in 2002. Many thousands of patients throughout the United States have now been treated using this technique.

Y-90 stands for yttrium-90, a radioactive element with a very short half-life of approximately 2.5 days. It is a very precise radiation treatment that uses the tumor’s own blood supply to deliver radiation directly into the tumor, while minimizing damage to the surrounding, healthy tissue.

Liver tumor treatment MI

How does it work?

Normal liver tissue gets the majority of its blood supply from the portal vein that flows from the intestine, while liver tumors receive the majority of their blood supply from the hepatic artery. Y-90 treatment is delivered directly to the liver tumors via the hepatic artery.

Y-90 TheraSpheres™ are tiny beads that are approximately 32 microns in diameter, about a third of the width of a human hair. They are small enough to flow through the hepatic arteries, but they are too large to pass through the small blood vessels within the tumor, where they become permanently lodged in the tumor bed. Once in place, the TheraSpheres block the flow of blood to the tumor while releasing their targeted radiation.

The procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist—a specially trained doctor who uses medical imaging to guide oncology treatment. The interventional radiologists of PrecisionIR have performed Y-90 radioembolization on many patients with excellent results.

We perform the Y-90 radioembolization procedure in our comfortable, convenient outpatient center. Most patients can return home within a few hours of their treatment. Side effects are few, the most common of which are flu-like symptoms for about 1-2 weeks after the procedure.

Is Y-90 effective?

The Y-90 procedure, in combination with chemotherapy, has shown excellent results nationwide in controlling liver cancer. This includes primary liver cancer, as well as breast and colon cancer that has metastasized to the liver.

While not a cure, research has shown an increase in average progression-free survival (the length of time surrounding treatment that a patient’s condition does not get worse) while maintaining a good quality of life.

TALK TO YOUR ONCOLOGIST

If he or she is unfamiliar with Y-90 radioembolization or SIRT we would be happy to provide them with more information about the procedure. Y-90 can be used as either a stand-alone treatment or a complementary therapy to other methods your doctor may be using to treat you.

For more information, or to schedule a consultation, please call 947-228-5500 or visit our contact page.

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