SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres
SIRT as a Treatment Option
- Selective internal radiation therapy or SIRT is a local-regional procedure that targets liver tumors directly, with high doses of radiation.
- Millions of tiny radioactive resin beads called microspheres are injected through a small tube (catheter) into the vessel(s) feeding the liver tumor(s), where they lodge in the tumor tissue.
- They are extremely small, much smaller than the thickness of a human hair.
- Each microsphere sends out radiation in a very limited area. This allows targeting of the tumor(s) while still preserving healthy liver tissue.
- SIRT is carried out by a specialist called an interventional radiologist. Two, sometimes three, sessions are performed, a few weeks apart.
- A session may take about 60 minutes, rarely longer. You will be given medicine to make you relaxed and sleepy—but you will still be able to talk with your treatment team.
The treatment with SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres aims to make the tumor(s) in your liver smaller. In some cases, the tumor(s) may become small enough to be removed by surgery at a later date.
Courtesy of Maurizio Cosimelli; Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.