Almost all treatments and drugs produce potentially unwanted side effects.
Most side effects following a SIRT procedure are minor., making patients feel uncomfortable, but a small number can be serious. Every patient is different in how he or she reacts to a treatment.
Patients may experience
- abdominal pain or tightness in their abdomen,
- nausea and loss of appetite which normally subsides within a week after treatment
- mild fever that may last for up to a week
- fatigue, which may last for several weeks post-treatment.
As a precaution, specific peri-procedural medications are prescribed to control these symptoms.
In rare instances, there is a possibility that microspheres may inadvertently reach other organs in the body, such as the gallbladder, stomach, intestine, or pancreas.
- If SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres reach these organs, they may cause cholecystitis, gastritis, duodentitis or pancreatitis.
- These complications are rare, but if they do occur they may require additional medical treatment.
Between 60 and 90 days post treatment, there is also a small risk of radioembolisation induced liver disease (REILD) which is characterised by jaundice, ascites and elevated bilirubin levels.
For more information please see Approved Indication.