Yttrium-90 radioembolization and the prolonged life expectancy of colorectal cancer patients.

Objectives Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization is a treatment option utilized on patients who do not react to first-line treatments of colorectal cancer. This includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical resection. The objective of this study is to provide a statistical analysis on how Y-90 radioembolization extends the survival rate of metastatic colorectal cancer patients and nuclear medicine’s role in treatment.

Methods Potential candidates completed an intra-hepatic Technetium-99 MAA scan prior to treatment of Y-90 radioembolization to assess the arterial perfusion of the liver and the fraction remaining in the tumor. Once patients were considered viable for Y-90 radioembolization, the dose was administered and patients were categorized under a single therapy of Y-90 radioembolization or Y-90 radioembolization accompanied by chemotherapy. A nuclear medicine SPECT scan was performed of the abdominal area to confirm Bremsstrahlung radiation of Y-90; which confirmed metastases within the liver.

Results Patients treated with Y-90 radioembolization as monotherapy, had a survival proportion ranging from 37% to 59% (about 15 months survival expectancy). While the patients treated with Y-90 radioembolization with chemotherapy, ranged from 43%-74% (about 29 months survival expectancy); in comparison to patients having received a traditional form of treatment.

Conclusions Y-90 radioembolization is an effective treatment option in patients who have shown resistance to traditional treatment methods in metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients who have been treated with Y-90 radioembolization treatment show a greater overall survival rate, in comparison to a colorectal cancer patient with metastases of the liver, having no consistent treatment, or in comparison to patients having traditional forms of treatment, which have a life expectancy of less than six months.