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Title: Tolerance of the liver to the effects of Yttrium-90 radiation

Journal Article · · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics; (USA)
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Univ. Department of Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital (Australia)

There are no reliable data documenting the tolerance of the human liver to ionizing radiation from a continuous Yttrium-90 source. As Yttrium-90 incorporated into microspheres is being used to treat patients with liver cancer, it is imperative that the tolerance of the human liver to this form of radiation damage be determined. Four patients with metastatic liver cancer were treated with Yttrium-90 to deliver radiation doses above that considered tolerable when given by conventional external sources. Patients were monitored with serial estimations of liver function tests and between 7 and 9 months after treatment liver biopsies were performed. Histological examination of the liver biopsies confirmed only minimal changes in the normal liver parenchyma. These data indicate that the human liver may tolerate relatively large radiation doses when delivered by Yttrium-90 microspheres embedded in the liver parenchyma as a number of discrete point sources.

OSTI ID:
6809074
Journal Information:
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics; (USA), Vol. 18:3; ISSN 0360-3016
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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