Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) for liver tumors

A program of:

• Virginia Piper Cancer Institute

Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s Virginia Piper Cancer Institute announced that it has begun utilizing a new treatment for patients suffering from certain types of liver cancer. The treatment, Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), uses microspheres (SIR® - Spheres) to carry yttrium-90, a radioactive element, through the bloodstream directly to tumors in the liver.

SIRT therapy irradiates tumors in the liver and can be used to treat patients who are candidates for surgical approaches. The SIRT procedure allows a more pin-pointed delivery of radiation to liver tumors than other radiotherapy techniques, making it more effective in killing the cancer, and safer in preserving normal liver function.

The procedure

SIRT is conducted under local sedation similar to a heart catheterization. A small incision is made in the groin and a flexible catheter is guided into the liver. This allows for targeted infusion of the SIR-Spheres to the liver tumors. The entire procedure lasts about an hour from beginning to end and is usually done as an outpatient.

SIRT is considered a regional treatment. This means the anti-cancer effect is concentrated on the liver and there is no effect on the cancer at other sites. SIRT therapy is performed under the direction of the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute’s Liver Cancer Program, which offers comprehensive care for patients with primary and metastatic liver cancers.

Who is eligible?

Patients suitable for treatment with SIR-Spheres:

• have cancer that originated in the bowel or rectum and has spread to the liver
• have the liver as a major site of disease
• have sufficient remaining healthy liver still functioning satisfactorily (determined through a blood test)
• meet the pre-selection criteria established by their physician’s pre-treatment testing
• have liver cell cancer (hepatocellular cancer, hepatoma)