Intra-tumoural injection of 90Y microspheres into an animal model of hepatoma.
BACKGROUND
Intrahepatic arterial injection of 90Y glass microspheres (90Y microspheres) is a useful therapeutic modality for inoperative liver tumour. Recently, a new concept of interstitial radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatic malignancies has been carried out with even more encouraging results. However, information regarding this technique is still very rare. The purpose of this study was to analyse the kinetics and biodistribution of 90Y microspheres in rats with hepatic tumours following intra-tumoural injection.


METHODS
Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats with hepatoma were killed at 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (five rats each time) after intra-tumoural injection of approximately 7.4 MBq of 90Y microspheres. Samples of various organs were obtained and used to calculate the tissue concentrations and radiation doses.


RESULTS
Our data showed that the radioactivity in the tumour was very high throughout this study. The lung was the only organ other than the tumour which showed high radioactivity. The concentrations of radioactivity in other organs, such as normal liver, muscle, spleen, bone, testis, and whole blood were quite low throughout the study.


CONCLUSIONS
Direct intra-tumoural injection of 90Y microspheres is extremely attractive as a clinical therapeutic alternative in hepatoma patients.
Chen
S D
SD
Department of Nuclear Medicine, China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Hsieh
J F
JF
Tsai
S C
SC
Lin
W Y
WY
Cheng
K Y
KY
Wang
S J
SJ
D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D007267:Injections; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes