Clinician scientists and researchers from National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in a study have found that using a higher dose of radioembolization treatment using yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres than recommended have more benefits in liver cancer.
The findings of the study, which represent potential practice shifts, have been disclosed in the Liver Cancer journal in September of this year 2024.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) primary liver cancer is the third most lethal cancer and the sixth most incendiary uncontrolled growth in the global community.
Management of LACC HCC is diverse and therefore prognosis and survival all differ. HCC has the characteristic of vascular invasion where the tumour cells have surrounded blood vessels. The most common treatment in patients with HCC and vascular invasion is radioembolization with Y-90 microspheres.
Y-90 is a non-surgical procedure which was initially used for HCC treatment in the early 2000s. Y-90 luminesces high amounts of radiation to the tumour cells in the blood or tumours in the liver independently by blood circulation. Thus, the correlation between Y-90 dosage and clinical effect of HCC patients, as well as the accurate dose of Y-90 for HCC treatment still remain unknown till now.
Evaluating dosage for a potentially favourable liver cancer drug:
In an attempt to fill this knowledge gap, clinicians and scientists reviewed the outcomes for 413 patients diagnosed with locally advanced HCC who underwent Y-90 therapy between January 2008 and May 2019 at SGH and NCCS. The current study is a single-centre analysis of the largest cohort of patients with unresectable HCC treated with Y-90 (resin) therapy.
What these findings imply to patients suffering from liver cancer:
Y-90 has been an option in treating liver carcinoma that cannot be operated on yet the dose of radiation has to be effective without a dangerous impact on the patient. It [Now that we know a higher dose can potentially help achieve better outcomes] may help inform novel treatment strategies or potentially how the patient and their doctor talk about the treatment process, said Dr. Chen Kaina, first author of the study and Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore and first author of the article.
Liver cancer is still considered to be fatal and it is more widespread in Asia.
This research is among the many that we are carrying out on liver cancer. It is our intention that by joining forces and studying the disease that we are striving to change the fatal nature of liver cancer to a curable one, explained Pierce Chow from SGH. As the next step, there will be a multi-national trial combining Y90 with immunotherapy for HCC.
Reference: SingHealth. Study determines higher dosage of radioembolization to treat liver cancer improves survival ratesÂ
