Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Dec;44(4):252-60.
doi: 10.1007/s13139-010-0047-7. Epub 2010 Aug 25.

Radiation safety issues in y-90 microsphere selective hepatic radioembolization therapy: possible radiation exposure from the patients

Young-Chul Kim  1 , Yun-Hwan Kim  2 , Soon-Ho Uhm  3 , Yeon Seok Seo  3 , Eun-Kyung Park  1 , Sun-Young Oh  1 , Eugene Jeong  1 , Sinae Lee  1 , Jae-Gol Choe  1
Affiliations

Radiation safety issues in y-90 microsphere selective hepatic radioembolization therapy: possible radiation exposure from the patients

Young-Chul Kim et al. Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the possible external radiation dose to other individuals from patients treated with Y-90 resin microspheres for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: We designed the study prospectively to estimate the possible radiation dose to other individuals from patients who had been treated with Y-90 microspheres for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. We estimated the total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) using two methods: 'theoretical' TEDEs according to the administered activity and 'measured' TEDE based on the 'measured' ambient radiation exposure rate. We compared the results from each method to determine when we can release patients from confinement at the earliest time complying with the patient release criteria.

Results: A total of 20 administrations of Y-90 resin microspheres were done in 18 patients. The average administered activity was 1.2 ± 0.77 (0.28-2.97) GBq. The 'theoretical' TEDEs were in the range of 0.8-10 μSv. The 'measured' TEDEs were in the range of 2.31-185 μSv. The measured TEDEs tend to be higher than the theoretical TEDEs. The values of theoretical and measured TEDE were both far less than 1 mSv, the upper limit at which the licensee can release a patient without any written documents.

Conclusion: The effective dose equivalent caused by the Y-90 microsphere administered patient is very low. It is safe in terms of radiation safety to the other individuals when Y-90 microsphere radioembolization therapy is done with dose less than 3 GBq. Because the measured TEDE tends to be higher than the theoretical TEDE, it is recommended to use 'measured' TEDE for determining patient release.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver tumor; Radiation safety; Selective hepatic radio-embolization therapy; Y-90 microsphere.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Exposure rate measurement at different time periods: a 10 cm from abdomen; b 10 cm from puncture site; c 1 m from the patient
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Plot of measured TEDE according to the measurement of ambient exposure rate at the time of release
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Salem R, Thurston KG, Carr BI, Goin JE, Geschwind JF. Yttrium-90 microspheres: radiation therapy for unresectable liver cancer. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2002;13:S223–S229. doi: 10.1016/S1051-0443(07)61790-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Salem R, Lewandowski R, Roberts C, Goin J, Thurston K, Abouljoud M, et al. Use of Yttrium-90 glass microspheres (TheraSphere) for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with portal vein thrombosis. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2004;15:335–345. - PubMed
    1. Salem R, Thurston KG. Radioembolization with yttrium-90 microspheres: a state-of-the-art brachytherapy treatment for primary and secondary liver malignancies: part 3: comprehensive literature review and future direction. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2006;17:1571–1593. doi: 10.1097/01.RVI.0000236744.34720.73. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kennedy A, Nag S, Salem R, Murthy R, McEwan AJ, Nutting C, et al. Recommendations for radioembolization of hepatic malignancies using yttrium-90 microsphere brachytherapy: a consensus panel report from the radioembolization brachytherapy oncology consortium. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007;68:13–23. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.11.060. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burton MA, Gray BN, Kelleher DK, Klemp PF. Selective internal radiation therapy: validation of intraoperative dosimetry. Radiology. 1990;175:253–255. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources