Primary and metastatic liver cancer is one of the most difficult types of cancer to treat. Surgical removal of liver tumors offers the best chance for a cure. Unfortunately, these 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. 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.
There is another option. Y-90 radioembolization is a novel treatment that may be combined with other treatments to attack liver cancer directly and aggressively. While not a cure, it can slow the growth of these tumors and extend or improve your quality of life.
The liver gets about 90% of its blood supply from the portal vein that flows from the intestine, while liver tumors receive about 90% of their blood supply from the hepatic artery. Y-90 microspheres are delivered directly to the arteries feeding liver tumors via the hepatic artery.
The microspheres 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. Once in place, the microspheres block the flow of blood to the tumor while releasing their targeted radiation.
To learn more, contact us today or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located on Hermann Drive in Houston and serve patients in the surrounding communities of Texas.