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Posttherapy Radiation Safety Considerations in Radiomicrosphere Treatment with ⁹⁰Y-Microspheres

¹ Center for Cancer Care, Goshen Health System, Goshen, Indiana; and ² Nuclear Physics Enterprises, Marlton, New Jersey

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Seza A. Gulec, MD, Department of Nuclear Oncology, Center for Cancer Care, Goshen Health System, 200 High Park Ave., Goshen, IN 46526. E-mail: sgulec{at}goshenhealth.com

Radiomicrosphere treatment involves the intrahepatic arterial administration of ⁹⁰Y-resin or ⁹⁰Y-glass microspheres. The microspheres are biocompatible, but not biodegradable, and little to no ⁹⁰Y leaches from the microspheres. Without any bioelimination, the β-dose delivery is generally confined to the liver. Although U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements permit patients treated with these microspheres to be released without the need for dose determination or patient instructions, there are important radiation safety issues that need scientific clarification. We carefully evaluated the radiation exposure mechanisms, including the bremsstrahlung radiation doses to others, for a variety of lifestyle behaviors. Dose estimates were also made for several practical and theoretic situations involving the patient's gonads, an embryo or fetus, and a nursing infant. For the infant, we evaluated the potential β-dose that might be introduced via breast milk ingestion. The bremsstrahlung component of the decay scheme of the pure β-emitter ⁹⁰Y has traditionally been ignored in internal and external dose calculations. Because the production of in vivo bremsstrahlung with the high-energy pure β-particle–emitting radionuclides used for therapeutic purposes is sufficient to permit external detection and imaging, we believe that the contribution of such radiation should be considered with regard to patient release; we therefore chose to evaluate this potential external radiation hazard. In all cases, the estimated doses were very small, indicating that no patient restrictions are required for radiation safety purposes after the release of a patient who has been treated with ⁹⁰Y-microspheres.

Key Words: radiomicrosphere treatment • ⁹⁰Y • microspheres • radiation safety • selective internal radiation treatment

COPYRIGHT © 2007 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Inc.

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