Highline Medical Center is One of Two Hospitals in Western Washington To Offer New Y-90 Cancer Treatment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27th, 2008
Highline Medical Center is One of Two Hospitals in Western Washington To Offer New Y-90 Cancer Treatment
BURIEN, WA – May 27, 2008 – Highline Medical Center is pleased to be one of two hospitals in Western Washington to offer a new state-of-the-art cancer treatment, yttrium-90 (y-90), for patients with cancer that has spread to the liver. Of the nearly 150,000 Americans diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year, at least 80 percent will see their cancer spread to the liver. Y-90 has emerged as a powerful treatment for patients with advanced liver cancer when most other treatment options have failed.
Y-90 is a radioactive element that is attached to microscopic resin beads. After a catheter is inserted into the femoral artery of the leg, it is navigated into the arteries of the liver. Once the catheter is in good position, the resin beads are injected. They preferentially target the tumor and deliver a one/two punch – they starve the tumor by cutting off its blood supply and they deliver a dose of cancer-fighting radiation. Because the normal liver cells are relatively spared, high doses of radiation can be delivered. Although the particles are so small they could fit between the ridges of your fingerprints, very high doses of radiation can be delivered, unlike with the use of external beam radiation, which might damage the normal liver cells.
Vascular and Interventional Radiologist Jeremy Weiss, DO, has treated numerous patients successfully with y-90. According to Dr. Weiss, "y-90 is similar to its sister treatment called chemoembolization, where tumors are injected with chemotherapy agents with chemotherapy agents and their blood supply is shut off. However, y-90 does not require a hospital stay and is commonly performed on an outpatient basis as compared to other chemotherapy treatments that require a hospital stay."
Y-90 works in conjunction with chemotherapy for the treatment of liver tumors. It has been found to shrink liver tumors more than chemotherapy alone. Patients are treated with a multi-disciplinary approach that includes Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Interventional Radiology. Clinical trials have confirmed that liver cancer patients treated with y-90 have response rates higher than with other forms of treatment, resulting in increased life expectancy, greater periods without tumor activity, and improved quality of life.
"The goal of this therapy is to increase quality of life and longevity. In my experience, with proper patient selection, it has been very successful, and many patients with different types of metastatic liver cancer are good candidates," said Dr. Weiss. "The most common side effect is a feeling of fatigue and mild abdominal discomfort."
For more information about y-90 or other Interventional Radiology procedures, please contact Shelly Sazama, RT(R), Interventional Radiology Coordinator at (206) 988-5782. For more information about Highline Medical Center, please log onto www.HighlineMedicalCenter.org.