Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) available at Summit Interventional Radiology

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the liver, it is important to learn the facts and evaluate treatment options. Approximately 50% to 60% of patients diagnosed with CRC develop colorectal metastases, and 80% to 90% of these patients have unresectable metastatic liver disease. Metastatic liver cancer is often fatal, with up to 90 percent of patients dying from liver failure.³ A diagnosis of colorectal liver metastases can be overwhelming, but there is hope.

SIR-Spheres^® Y-90 resin microspheres treatment, offered at Summit IR is a targeted radiation therapy that delivers a dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional external beam therapy while sparing healthy tissue. This maximizes the treatment’s effectiveness and reduces the risk of injury to the liver. The treatment is typically administered as an outpatient procedure at a local treating hospital. SIR-Spheres are FDA PMA approved for patients with inoperable metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver.³

Who is a candidate for the treatment?

This treatment is indicated for patients with colorectal liver cancer whose liver metastases cannot be surgically removed. As with any treatment, the medical team at Summit IR can help you decide if this treatment is best suited for your condition.

How are SIR-Spheres administered?

SIR-Spheres are administered through a process called Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT). During the procedure, an interventional radiologist makes a small puncture, usually into the femoral artery near the groin or
the radial artery near the wrist. A small flexible tube, known as a catheter, is then guided through the artery into the liver and millions of microscopic spheres (about a third of the width of a human hair), are delivered directly into the tumor. The entire procedure takes about 90 minutes. Medication and/or anesthesia may be used; this will be discussed prior to the procedure. Most patients return home four to six hours following treatment.

How do SIR-Spheres work?

The SIRT procedure delivers radiation, which is often used to treat cancer, directly into the liver tumors by using the tumor’s own blood supply. Normal liver tissue takes about 75 percent of its blood supply from the portal vein, while liver tumors receive about 90 percent of their blood supply from the hepatic artery. Since SIR-Spheres are delivered directly to the tumors, this allows a larger dose of radiation to be implanted locally than is possible with conventional external beam radiotherapy.

How are SIR-Spheres different from other radiation treatments for cancers of the liver?

SIR-Spheres usually reduce liver tumors after just one treatment. The targeted nature of SIR-Spheres therapy enables doctors to deliver more radiation to the liver tumors than would be possible using conventional radiotherapy. Also, because traditional radiation is delivered to a general area of the body where cancer exists, it is less exact than SIR-Spheres. Another limitation of conventional radiotherapy is that it can only be applied to certain areas of the body, often not including the liver. SIR-Spheres however, are designed specifically for delivery directly to the liver.

What are the goals of treatment using SIR-Spheres?

Clinical trials have shown SIRT increases the time-to-disease progression and overall survival without adversely affecting the patient’s quality of life.³ In clinical studies, SIR-Spheres have been combined with modern chemotherapy or administered as a monotherapy during a chemotherapy holiday and have been proven to:^{4, 5-11}

• Decrease the tumor burden in the liver^{4, 5-9}
• Increase time-to-disease progression^{5, 6}
• Increase survival time³
• Potentially downsize tumors to liver resection or ablation ^{5, 7,10,11} 
• Provide palliation of symptoms

What side effects and complications can I expect?

When properly administered, most side effects are typically mild and subside within several days. Post treatment side effects can include abdominal pain and/or nausea which normally subside after a short time and/or with routine medication. Many patients also develop a mild fever that may last up to a week and fatigue which may last for several weeks. As a precaution, we may recommend additional medications with the aim of preventing or minimizing these side effects.

In rare instances, there is the possibility that a small number of microspheres may inadvertently reach other organs in the body, such as the gall bladder, stomach, intestine or pancreas. If SIR-Spheres microspheres reach these organs, they may cause inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), stomach (gastritis) or intestine (duodenitis). These complications are rare, but if one of these occurs, they will require additional treatment. Your treatment team will have received special training to minimize these risks and to prevent them from happening.

SIR-Spheres are only for the treatment of colorectal cancer which has spread to the liver.¹² For more information, please contact us at Summit IR.

 

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*To see the full indication and important safety information visit https://www.sirtex.com/Media/55rprxv2/SSL-US-16%20-%20SIR%20Spheres%20microspheres%20IFU-US.pdf

SIR-Spheres^® is a registered trademark of Sirtex SIR-Spheres Pty Ltd.