Radioembolization

Last revised by Raymond Chieng on 16 Jun 2022

Radioembolization is the delivery of radioactive microspheres to cancers using an endovascular approach. It is often performed as an outpatient procedure. 

  • typically a transfemoral intra-arterial catheter with the tip near the target lesion
  • nuclear medicine specialists prepare the radioactive (e.g. yttrium-90) microspheres (~32 microns), which when injected are implanted in the microvascular arterial supply of the tumor where they become trapped

The spectrum of yttrium-90 is ~2.7 days, with no remaining radioactivity after one month.

The overall survival rate of almost 13 months with radioembolization. Mortality ranges from 0.6% to 6% at 30 and 90 days, respectively in high-risk groups. 

The most common adverse events are:

  • fatigue
  • nausea and/or vomiting
  • abdominal pain

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