What is the y90 procedure?
Radioembolization, also called Y-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), is a minimally invasive liver-directed therapy for liver cancer that either arises from the liver (primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma) or has metastasized to the liver from other organs most commonly the colon or rectum (secondary liver cancer) that cannot be removed with surgery.
What is a y90 procedure?
Radioembolization (Yttrium-90 embolization or selective internal radiation therapy) Treatment for: Primary or metastatic liver cancer. Why it’s done: All cancers are susceptible to radiation, if high enough doses of radiation can be concentrated in a cancer.
What to expect when having radiation therapy?
Our team of experts believes that Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radiotherapy is the best option for you at this time. Y-90 radiotherapy sends radiation directly into the blood vessels that feed the tumors. This treatment does not cure liver tumors. But, it often controls or shrinks them. After this therapy, your doctors may advise other options such as
What is y90 therapy?
Mar 28, 2011 · Y-90 treatment adds to interventional radiology's nonsurgical advances for liver cancer, such as delivering chemotherapy directly to the affected organ (chemoembolization), killing the tumor with...
Does Y-90 cure cancer?
The treatment is not a cure for cancer in the liver, but it has been shown to prolong lives for months or years and to greatly improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Patients experience few, if any, side effects from Y90 treatment, which is performed in an outpatient setting.
How long does a Y-90 procedure last?
Y-90 radiotherapy is done by an interventional radiologist, a doctor who specializes in procedures that use X-ray guidance. The treatment is done in several steps over a few months. Step 1 is a procedure called a mapping angiogram. It takes 2 to 4 hours.
How many Y-90 treatments can you have?
Patients are typically limited to two treatments, although doctors can take another approach — only with concentrated chemotherapy and larger particles — once radiation limits are reached.Jan 27, 2017
What are the benefits of yttrium-90?
Benefits of Yttrium-90 Therapy Painless for most people. Safe and well-tolerated. Able to deliver a higher radiation dose than external radiation therapy or radiation given outside the body. Helpful in preserving healthy tissue, as the radiation releases close to the tumor.
What are the side effects of Y-90 treatment?
The most common side effect after Y-90 radiotherapy is fatigue (feeling very tired). This can be mild or severe. It can last up to a few weeks. Other side effects include: • Poor appetite • Mild abdominal pain • Slight fever • Nausea These symptoms should slowly go away over 1 to 2 weeks.
Are you radioactive after Y-90 treatment?
The Y90 has a half-life of 64.2 hours. This means that it will be non-radioactive in about a month's time.Oct 31, 2019
How much does Y-90 treatment cost?
The primary outcome was the overall difference in cost between Y-90 vs TACE for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma at Einstein Medical Center. The price of a Y-90 ranges from $30,000 to $35,000 with an average of $32,500.
What type of radiation is Y-90?
Y90 is a pure beta-particle-emitter with a physical half-life of 64.2 hours, 0.94 MeV decay energy, and an average penetrative depth of 2.4mm in human tissue.May 1, 2018
How long do chemo beads last?
The beads will continue to release radiation over the course of two weeks following treatment, gradually decreasing to insignificant levels and with few side effects.
Is Y90 a brachytherapy?
The Yttrium-90 irradiates from within and can be viewed as "internal" radiation or "brachytherapy." Radioembolization is a palliative, not a curative, treatment. Patients may benefit by extending their lives and improving their quality of life.
What is the difference between TACE and Y90?
Y90 is better tolerated with a smaller side effect profile when compared to TACE therapy. However, Y90 is an expensive treatment option, which isn't feasible for certain patient populations, such as those on Medicaid. Y90 is a very well-tolerated procedure.
What is Y-90 SIRT?
What is Radioembolization (Y-90 SIRT)? Radioembolization, also called Y-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), is a minimally invasive liver-directed therapy for liver cancer that either arises from the liver (primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma) or has metastasized to the liver from other organs most commonly ...
What is the number for Y-90 SIRT?
Helping our patients get the care they need to live happy, healthy lives is our top priority at US Oncology. Call us at 855.870.4747 if you want to learn more about Y -90 SIRT treatment, or if you want to learn more about our locations, physicians, or insurance coverage.
What is the liver in radiation therapy?
Radioembolization combines the localized delivery of radiation therapy in the form of tiny beads and embolization to treat patients with liver cancer. The liver is unique because it has two blood supplies—the hepatic artery and the portal vein. The normal liver receives about 75 percent of its blood supply through the portal vein ...
How long does a radioactive microsphere stay in the artery?
After the catheter has been advanced into the artery that supplies the blood flow to the tumor (s), the radioactive microspheres are injected into the artery before reaching the tumor (s) where they will lodge and emit radiation for about two weeks.
How long does it take for a tumor to decay?
The whole procedure may take around 60–90 minutes.
Why is it important to treat liver cancer?
The liver is the most common site for the spread of this cancer which is why it is so important to treat the cancer there to prevent further spread beyond the liver. Patients with colorectal liver cancer whose liver metastases cannot be removed by surgery are ...
Can liver cancer be treated with radiation?
This typically happens after one treatment but treatments can be repeated if necessary to achieve complete tumor destruction. The targeted nature and high level of precision of this therapy enable doctors to deliver more radiation to the liver tumors than would be possible using conventional external beam radiotherapy.
What is Y 90?
Jeremy McBride, M.D., an interventional radiologist with Mayo Clinic Health System, suggested a minimally invasive radiation treatment known as Y-90 to strategically attack the tumors invading Turnbull’s liver. The treatment works by injecting tiny particles into the arteries feeding the tumors with blood.
When was Turnbull's liver treated?
To minimize the risk of injury to Turnbull’s liver, Dr. McBride treated half of the liver at a time. The first treatment was in July 2016, the second in October. Follow-up scans thus far have shown positive results, Dr. McBride says.
Why is radiation limited in cancer?
External beam radiation is limited because the radiation has to pass through the skin and body wall to reach the targeted cancer, with resultant limitations on dose to avoid damage to surrounding structures.
What is the second session of radiation?
The second session is the delivery of the radiation into the liver cancer. The radiation is in the form of a radioactive isotope called Yttrium-90 or Y-90, which is fixed onto tiny glass or resin particles.
How many sessions of radioembolization?
How it’s done: Radioembolization requires at least two treatment sessions. The first session is a mapping angiogram, where a catheter is passed into the liver artery from the groin and angiography is used to “map out” all the arteries in the liver circulation.
When was Y-90 first used?
FULL STORY. Interventional radiologists have been the leaders in the use of intra-arterial yttrium-90 radioembolization, since its introduction in 2000, to treat liver cancer. Now, new results from a large multi-institutional study show that treating liver tumors with higher doses of Y-90 than previously tried is safe, ...
Where are Y-90 microspheres injected?
With the Y-90 radioembolization treatment, the microspheres are injected through a catheter from the groin into the liver artery supplying the tumor. The beads become lodged within the tumor vessels where they exert their local radiation that causes cell death.
Why are liver tumors inoperable?
Liver tumors are often inoperable because the tumors may be too large or numerous or have grown into major blood vessels or other vital structures. Historically, chemotherapy drugs become less effective as the disease progresses," he added.
Why did the Nuclear Regulatory Commission change its guidelines?
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently changed its guidelines in order to create a specific pathway for interventional radiologists to become authorized users. Last month in Arizona, 106 participants attended the SIR's Y-90 course, developed to ensure that SIR members not only meet but exceed these requirements.
Is Y-90 safe for liver cancer?
Now, new results from a large multi-institutional study show that treating liver tumors with higher doses of Y-90 than previously tried is safe , provides results when chemotherapies have failed, preserves the patient's quality of life -- and can be done on an outpatient basis.
Does liver tissue help tumors?
Nov. 25, 2019 — A study discovered that healthy liver tissue surrounding a tumor activates a defense mechanism that restrains tumor growth . Remarkably, the researchers found that hyperactivation of this mechanism ...
Is radioembolization a curative treatment?
Radioembolization is a palliative, not a curative, treatment -- but patients benefit by having their lives extended and experiencing fewer side effects (such as the fatigue that can last for seven to 10 days after standard cancer therapy).
What is Y90 treatment?
In contrast to most nuclear medicine applications, Y90 is therapeutic and designed to treat rather than simply diagnose. It is estimated that 75% to 95% of patients see improvement from treatment, potentially extending their lives or improving survival rates. In this post we’ll take a look at Y90, what it is, and how it works.
What is Y90 therapy?
When is Y90 therapy indicated? Hepatic (liver) tumors (lesions or masses) may originate as a primary cancer of the liver such as hepatocellular cancer (90% of primary liver cancers) or may be another form of cancer that has metastasized to the region . There are many treatment options available for hepatic lesions.
What is the mapping process for Y90?
Y90 mapping and its role with radioembolization therapy. There is a great deal of planning prior to performing a Y90 radioembolization. Here are a few steps: The first step in the process is referred to as the “mapping”. The mapping process involves a very similar process to the radioembolization treatment itself;
What is Y90 used for?
Yttrium-90 (Y90) is a commonly used isotope within the nuclear medicine and radiation oncology communities for radiation therapy. When used for the treatment, Y90 is relied upon to provide a prescribed amount of radiation to a targeted area. Y90 is most commonly used during a radioembolization therapy, an internal radiation therapy.
What happens if more than 20% of the Y90 is administered?
If more than 20% of the administered mapping dose goes to the lungs, the patient may be required to undergo further embolization to ensure that the Y90 will be directed to the intended location within the tumor.The type of camera used is important.
How many people are diagnosed with Y90?
Disease incidence treated with Y90. Based on the available statistics for the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 3,210 individuals annually will be diagnosed with primary colorectal cancer that will metastasize to the liver. Similarly, 1 in 7,675 individuals each year will be diagnosed with primary liver cancer.
How long does a Y90 stay in place?
These spheres will remain in the tumor and are not removed. The Y90 has a half-life of 64.2 hours. This means that it will be non-radioactive in about a month’s time.

Y90 Treatment at Columbia Interventional Radiology
Are There Any Risks?
- The procedure is relatively safe when performed by an experienced interventional radiologist. Major complications include: 1. Post-embolization syndrome consisting of consisting of pain, nausea, and low-grade fever 2. Irritation of the stomach or small intestine, including ulcers 3. Fatigue, which is typically significant and can last from a few days to a few weeks
After The Procedure
- Most patients are scheduled early in the day in our outpatient office and recover in their own private room, going home in the afternoon. Imaging is performed on the day of the procedure to confirm the location within the liver where the radiation particles have been deposited. For the next week you may experience a low-grade fever, lethargy, or fatigue. Pain is not a common sid…
Follow Up
- We will schedule a follow up appointment with you about two weeks after the procedure. Chemotherapy can typically be restarted one to two weeks after the procedure. Follow up imaging, such as CT, MRI, or PET CT, is usually performed approximately eight weeks after the procedure.