Franciscan Health patients in the Region now have a new option for combating liver cancer, thanks to an innovative treatment available at Franciscan Health Munster.
The hospital is now offering Boston Scientific’s TheraSphere Yttrium-90 (Y-90) treatment. This cutting-edge technology targets tumors that are too large for surgical removal, providing hope for patients with primary liver cancer and those whose cancer has metastasized to the liver.
“TheraSphere Y-90 can be a treatment that shrinks the tumor size such that the patient isn't cured by that, but they then become a candidate for other therapies such as surgery and transplant, which may be curative,” said Carl Valentin, MD, a diagnostic radiologist practicing at Franciscan Health Munster who performs the procedure.
TheraSphere is an innovative, targeted therapy utilizing glass microspheres infused with radioactive Yttrium-90 (Y-90). The two-hour outpatient procedure involves the injection of radioactive microspheres directly into the tumor through a catheter inserted through an artery in the leg and guided into the liver. By localizing the treatment, TheraSphere effectively targets the tumor while preserving healthy surrounding tissue.
“It's a radioactive therapy, but it's one that instead of being targeted from outside of the body, it's targeted from inside the tumor through direct catheterization of the arteries,” Dr. Valentin said.
The latest clinical data from Boston Scientific shows a 93% three-year survival rate for patients with transplant or liver resection after undergoing the TheraSphere Y-90 treatment.
For more information or to schedule an appointment for a consultation, please call the Franciscan Health Cancer Center Munster at (219) 922-4095.
