title: Radioembolisation with Yttrium-90 microspheres: an effective treatment modality for unresectable liver metastases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the outcomes (survival and adverse events) of the authors' use of (90) Y microsphere radioembolisation in patients with chemotherapy-refractory liver metastases with published data from other groups using radioembolisation. To retrospectively evaluate the efficiency, in particular survival benefits, of radioembolisation in the treatment of liver metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 5 years, 339 patients underwent (90) Y microsphere radioembolisation for unresectable liver metastases and were evaluated for adverse events at the time of treatment and 1 and 3 months after treatment. Overall survival (OS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The results from the present retrospective study were compared with a number of prospective and retrospective clinical trials which have addressed the use of (90) Y microspheres as a salvage treatment for liver metastases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The OS time of the present study (12.0 months) compares favourably with survival times reported by other groups. The incidence of late grade 2 adverse events (e.g. duodenal or gastric ulceration, radiation-induced liver disease, gall bladder complications) is comparable to previous studies, with a lower prevalence of grade 2/3 ulcerations (3.7%) at our centre.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survival results, together with the low acute and late toxicity observed in our data and previous studies, support the use of radioembolisation to aid in the local control of unresectable liver metastases in the salvage setting. The present study contributes to the growing evidence for efficiency, in particular survival gains, of radioembolisation in the treatment of liver metastases.
authors: Department of Interventional Radiology, University of New South Wales St. Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Australia. lourensb@bigpond.net.au
authors: Lourens
authors: L
authors: Bester
authors: Baerbel
authors: B
authors: Meteling
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Pocock
authors: Akshat
authors: A
authors: Saxena
authors: Terence C
authors: TC
authors: Chua
authors: David L
authors: DL
authors: Morris
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes