Radioembolisation, also called selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) or TARE, delivers millions of microscopic beads loaded with radioactive yttrium-90 directly into the arteries feeding liver tumours. The beads lodge in the tumour's small vessels and irradiate it from within over about two weeks, while the rest of the liver receives far less.
It can shrink or control primary liver cancer and liver metastases, sometimes enough to allow surgery or transplant later. It treats the liver only, is usually a controlling rather than curative treatment, and is unsuitable if liver function is already poor.
What Radioembolisation (SIRT, Y-90) for Liver Tumours involves
Treatment is done in two visits to the angiography suite. In the first, the mapping session, an interventional radiologist passes a fine catheter from the groin or wrist artery into the liver arteries, studies the tumour's blood supply, may block small branches leading to the stomach or bowel, and injects a harmless tracer. A nuclear medicine scan then shows how much tracer escapes to the lungs and allows the dose to be calculated. One to three weeks later, the catheter is placed in the same position and the yttrium-90 microspheres are infused slowly over 10 to 20 minutes. A scan afterwards confirms where the beads have settled.
Who is a good candidate for Radioembolisation (SIRT, Y-90) for Liver Tumours?
Suitability is decided by a multidisciplinary liver tumour board, based on scans, liver blood tests and your general fitness.
- Hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be removed or ablated, including some cases with portal vein involvement
- Bowel cancer metastases confined mainly to the liver that are no longer responding to chemotherapy
- Neuroendocrine tumour metastases and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in selected patients
- Large tumours on one side, to shrink them and enlarge the healthy side before surgery
Es ist normalerweise nicht die richtige Wahl, wenn:
- Decompensated liver disease with jaundice, fluid in the abdomen or a high bilirubin
- A high lung shunt on the mapping scan, which would expose the lungs to radiation
- Extensive disease outside the liver that dominates the outlook
- Pregnancy, and people whose blood vessels cannot be safely catheterised
Technikoptionen
- Resin microspheres: Smaller dose per bead and more beads. Commonly used for metastases.
- Glass microspheres: Higher activity per bead with less embolic effect. Often chosen for hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Radiation segmentectomy: A very high dose given to one or two small liver segments with the aim of destroying a limited tumour completely.
- Alternatives: TACE, ablation, systemic therapy: Chemoembolisation, thermal ablation or drug treatment may be preferred depending on tumour size, number and liver reserve.
Was passiert während Ihrer Behandlung
Each session lasts 60 to 90 minutes under local anaesthesia with light sedation. You may feel warmth from contrast dye and mild upper abdominal ache during the infusion. Afterwards you lie flat for a few hours if the groin was used. Most people go home the same day or after one night.
Vorbereitung auf Ihre Reise
Plan for two procedures 1 to 3 weeks apart: mapping, then treatment. Some people stay in Istanbul for the whole period of about 2 to 3 weeks; others make two short trips. If both liver lobes need treating, the second lobe is done 4 to 6 weeks later. The first response scan is at about 3 months and can be done at home and shared.
- Informieren Sie den Arzt über Medikamente, Allergien, Schwangerschaft oder Stillen und eine Vorgeschichte von Fieberbläschen, Keloidnarben oder Autoimmunerkrankungen
- Vermeiden Sie Alkohol, Aspirin und entzündungshemmende Schmerzmittel für ein paar Tage im Voraus, wenn Ihr eigener Arzt zustimmt, um Blutergüsse zu reduzieren
- Kommen Sie ohne Make-up auf dem Behandlungsbereich an und vermeiden Sie zwei Wochen vorher Sonnenliegen und starke Sonne
Genesung und Ergebnisse
Tiredness, reduced appetite, mild nausea and a low fever are common for 1 to 2 weeks, a pattern called post-embolisation syndrome, and are usually milder than after chemoembolisation. For about a week you are advised to keep close contact with small children and pregnant women brief. Blood tests are checked at 2 to 4 weeks and again with the first scan.
- Back to everyday activity: 1 to 2 weeks of fatigue
- When results show: Scan response at about 3 months
- How long they last: Months to years of control; varies widely
Sicherheit, Risiken und Revisionspolitik
Most side effects are mild and short-lived, but misplaced beads or a fragile liver can cause serious harm, which is why mapping is mandatory.
- Fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and low fever for up to 2 weeks
- Stomach or duodenal ulcer if beads reach the gut arteries
- Radiation-induced liver disease weeks later, with jaundice and fluid, in a small percentage
- Radiation pneumonitis if lung shunting was underestimated, which is rare
- Gallbladder inflammation or bile duct injury
- Bruising or bleeding at the artery puncture site
- Temporary fall in blood lymphocyte count
Jeder schriftliche Vorschlag wird durch Clinic-Y gibt an, was die Klinik abdeckt, wenn eine Korrektur erforderlich ist. Fragen Sie danach, bevor Sie buchen, nicht danach.
Cost of Radioembolisation (SIRT, Y-90) for Liver Tumours in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Radioembolisation (SIRT, Y-90) for Liver Tumours, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Type and activity of microspheres ordered, which are made to order for each patient
- One lobe or both lobes treated
- Mapping angiogram and nuclear medicine scans
- Hospital nights and post-treatment imaging
- Pre-treatment PET-CT or MRI if not already done
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Häufig gestellte Fragen
Am I radioactive afterwards?
A little, for a few days. Yttrium-90 radiation travels only millimetres in tissue, so simple precautions for about a week are enough. You will get a card for airport detectors.
Is it a cure?
Usually not. It aims to control liver disease and extend good-quality life. In a minority it shrinks tumours enough for surgery or serves as a bridge to transplant.
Why two procedures?
The mapping session proves the beads will stay in the liver and lets the team calculate a personal dose. Skipping it would be unsafe.
Can I continue chemotherapy?
Often it is paused for a few weeks around treatment. Your oncologist and the interventional team should agree the schedule in advance.