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. 1994 Nov;70(5):994–999. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1994.436

Treatment of inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic arterial yttrium-90 microspheres: a phase I and II study.

W Y Lau 1, W T Leung 1, S Ho 1, N W Leung 1, M Chan 1, J Lin 1, C Metreweli 1, P Johnson 1, A K Li 1
PMCID: PMC2033550  PMID: 7947110

Abstract

Eighteen patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were treated with intrahepatic arterial yttrium-90 microspheres. All these patients showed a lung shunting below 15% and a tumour-to-normal ratio higher than 2 as determined by diagnostic technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin (Tc-MAA) gamma scintigraphy. The treatment was given through an arterial port placed during laparotomy. The radiation doses to the liver and tumour were determined intraoperatively with a beta probe and liquid scintillation counting of multiple liver biopsies. The treatment was well tolerated without major complications. In all patients the tumour marker fell to a level which ranged from 41% to 0.2% of the pretreatment level. Tumour regression was found to be dose related. Progressive or static disease occurred in a higher proportion of patients whose tumours received < 120 Gy (P = 0.005). Survival was better in those whose tumours received > 120 Gy (median survival = 55.9 weeks) than those whose tumours received lower doses (median survival = 26.2 weeks). This difference is statistically significant with P = 0.005. We conclude that yttrium-90 microsphere therapy is safe and that tumour response is dose related. A tumour dose of > 120 Gy is recommended.

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Selected References

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