About yttrium-90
For the production of yttrium-90, yttrium-89 is irradiated in the reactor. The product that comes out of the reactor has a half-life of 2.66 days and it decays to the stable isotope zirconium-90. This makes it a suitable isotope for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT). The treatment is used for indications in the liver: inoperable hepatocellular carcinomas and liver metastases. Y-90 has also been proven to be effective among others in radiosynoviorthesis.
What solutions does yttrium-90 offer?
Primary liver cancer and liver metastases
Primary liver cancer and liver metastases can be treated using a medical device called microspheres. These small radioactive particles are injected into the liver artery with the help of a catheter. In the liver, the spheres will reach the tumor where they are permanently implanted. For the next days, they will emit beta particles that will kill the tumor. The treatment can be applied before liver surgery or a transplantation. Its aim is to reduce the size of the tumor to make it easier to remove the tumor during surgery.
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