Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) brings innovative yttrium-90(Y-90) liver cancer treatment to our region; extending survival time and providing new hope to patients with metastatic liver tumors. Microspheres therapy has emerged as a treatment option for patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver. This ground-breaking treatment is being performed at Mary Washington Hospital’s Interventional Radiology Department.

At least 60 percent of the nearly 140,000 Americans diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year will see their cancer spread to the liver,^1,2and most liver tumors cannot be surgically resected. Metastatic liver cancer is often fatal, with up to 90 percent of patients dying from liver failure.

SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres are used in targeted radiation therapy, also known as selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) that selectively delivers a dose of internal radiation to liver tumors. This outpatient procedure requires a small incision in the groin and is administered via a very small flexible tube (microcatheter) into the liver.

“We are excited to offer Y-90 radioembolization therapy for cancer patients in the Fredericksburg region, said John D. Statler, MD, Interventional Radiologist. “This targeted, minimally invasive procedure allows us to treat several types of cancer affecting the liver on an outpatient basis, where patients can usually go home within hours.”

SIR-Spheres microspheres are the only fully FDA PMA approved microspheres therapy for colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver.³ They are microscopic radioactive spheres that can be delivered by the millions directly to the tumor site via a catheter inserted in the groin of the patient and threaded through the arteries to the liver. The microspheres contain the radioactive isotope yttrium-90 (Y-90), which delivers beta radiation to the tumor. The microspheres selectively target liver tumors with a dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional radiotherapy while sparing healthy tissue.

Dr. Charles Maurer, Chair of the Mary Washington Cancer Committee and the MWHC Cancer Program said, “We are pleased that this innovative therapy has been added to the comprehensive treatment services we offer for certain tumor types. Our community and patients continue to benefit from our many advanced and multidisciplinary approaches to winning the cancer battle.”  For more information about treatment options and comprehensive services, please visit Cancer.mwhc.com.