Yttrium-90 radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic disease to the liver.

Yttrium-90 ((90)Y) radioembolization is a catheter-based therapy that delivers internal radiation to hepatic tumors in the form of microspheres. (90)Y can be delivered to the hepatic tumor as either a constituent of a glass microsphere, TheraSphere(®), or as a biocompatible resin-based microsphere, SIR-Spheres(®). Once embedded within the tumor microcirculation, these microspheres emit β-radiation at therapeutic levels. While the technical aspects of radioembolization are quite complex, the collective clinical experience presented in the literature supports the use of (90)Y radioembolization for unresectable hepatic malignancies.