Radioembolization (ray-dee-oh-em-beh-lih-ZAY-shun) is a procedure used to treat some kinds of liver tumors.
A specialized doctor, called an interventional radiologist, injects tiny beads containing radioactive material into a blood vessel that leads to the tumor. The radioactive material, yttrium-90 (Y90), works right on the tumor and not the healthy tissue around it.
The full name of this treatment is transarterial radioembolization with yttrium-90 (TARE-Y90).
Radioembolization can:
Radioembolization goes through a blood vessel and right to the liver tumor. The radioactive material doesn't pass through healthy parts of the body to reach the cancer cells, as happens in other kinds of radiation treatments.
Sometimes doctors use radioembolization with other treatments, like chemotherapy and surgery.
The interventional radiologist will explain the risks and likely benefits of radioembolization. If you decide the procedure is right for your child, you'll be asked to sign a consent (permission) form. Then, you will schedule the procedure.
Before the procedure, the care team will let you know:
A week or two before the procedure, the interventional radiologist will do an angiogram (a special X-ray) to make a map of the tumor's blood vessels. The doctor will inject a dye called contrast as part of this mapping. They may also block off vessels to prevent radioactive particles from spreading to other parts of the body.
Your child will have the procedure in a room called an interventional radiology suite (IR suite). It's like an operating room with extra X-ray and ultrasound equipment. Besides the interventional radiologist, other professionals work as a team to help your child:
Before going into the IR suite, the care team will:
The anesthesiology team will bring your child to the IR suite. For most radioembolization procedures, the interventional radiologist will:
You can stay with your child until it's time to go to the IR suite. Then, you'll move to the waiting area.
After the procedure, you'll go to the recovery room to be there as your child wakes up from the anesthesia. Because the Y90 isn't throughout the body, kids don't need to be isolated. They'll get regular nursing care as they recover.
Radioembolization can take from 1 to 3 hours. It depends on how many tumors are being treated and where they are.
For a few days after the procedure, your child may have:
Because the radioactive beads are deep inside the liver, very little radiation leaves your child's body. Most of the radioactivity fades from the beads in 7–10 days. Doctors don't remove the beads. The radiation may keep working on the tumor(s) for several weeks.
Yes. Problems aren't common, but they can sometimes happen. They can include:
After your child gets home:
Reviewed by: Allison Aguado, MD
Date Reviewed: Oct 25, 2019