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SIRT PROCEDURE FOR LIVER METS
Hello everyone..I was dx with ovarian cancer 3/06 stage 3cgrade3. I've had liver mets several times and have chemo 3 different times during the last 2 1/2 years. 3 big surgeries and 1 minor. My cancer keeps returning. Recently it returned during my chemo treatment to my liver. I am considering a procedure called SIRT. Have any of you had this procedure or do you know anything about it. Thank you, Cindy
It blocked out my email . Well, to make it simple the first part is Mommyof5 and it is at fuse dot net! See if they delete that! :-)~
Please Cindy, let me know how you are and if you need anything. Prayers are powerful, so I'll keep up that part! My email (I know I am not supposed to do this) is ***@****. Please email me directly some time and we can talk. My blessings and wishes of great health are with you always ~Taunya ;-)
I am Catholic and God has been with me every step. Thank you for coming back and responding. I asked about the RFA and they said it isn't a problem. The never mentioned capacetabine. They know I've been on chemo for about 2 1/2 years and today I had my first one with a drug called doxil. They said it was okay for me to be on chemo. My cancer is very aggressive. I'll be in touch....Cindy
I am so glad to hear back from you! You are in my prayers and thoughts. I am also happy to hear that you are probably a candidate for this treatment. I do not know your religion, and hope this does not offend you but-God will be with you through everything, and he will carry you when you cannot walk. Blessings~Taunya PS Please keep me posted!
Thank you very much for all the information you have provided!!! During my secondary cytoreductive surgery my liver was mobilized using the Argon beam coagulation and hydrodisection then was mobilized again using the habib radiofrequency ablation, then the liver lesion was circumscribed and resected. The Habib radiofrequency ablation unit was then used to cauterize the base of the liver without incident. I spoke with someone about this who had this done and has a support group. I called her and asked her about the ablation and she said it shouldn't be a problem. I have an appointment with the head cancer radiologist today and I will bring the subject up. My records were faxed to him two days ago and I'm sure he is aware of everything. Maybe not. He also knows we have to travel quite a distance for this appointment. I will keep you posted. Thank you very much. If I can't have this procedure done for all the tumor another cancer radiologist were I live said he can take care of the 2 larger tumors with the cyberknife. I have 30 other tiny spots. Ovca does this thing called seeding. That is why my goal is to have this procedure done on my liver. I was dx stage 3 but now with all the disease in my liver and was in my lung before chemo I am a stage 4. They will do half the liver at a time with about a month inbetween treatments. It is scary to me but I am so desperate! Thanks again....Cindy
forgot to ask you, have you previously had any radiation to your liver? If so, you shouldn't eveb be a candidate for the SIRT procedure. It is dangerous to previously radiated liver lesions. Please keep me updated!
My aunt is having this, here is what I know. Blessings and best of luck to you always!
Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is a revolutionary treatment for advanced liver cancer that utilizes new technologies to deliver radiation directly to the site of tumors.
Conventional radiotherapy can only be applied to limited areas of the body, and it adversely affects nearby tissues. SIRT, on the other hand, involves the delivery of millions of microscopic radioactive spheres, called SIR-Spheres®, directly to the site of the liver tumors, where they selectively irradiate the tumors. The targeted nature of SIRT enables doctors to deliver up to 40 times more radiation to the liver tumors than would be possible using conventional radiotherapy.
The anti-cancer effect is concentrated in the liver and there is little effect on cancer at other sites such as the lungs or bones.
Treatment with SIR-Spheres® is generally not regarded as a cure, but has been shown to shrink the cancer when combined with chemotherapy more than chemotherapy alone. This can increase life expectancy and improve quality of life. On occasion, patients treated with SIR-Spheres® have had such marked shrinkage of the liver cancer that the cancer can be surgically removed at a later date. This has resulted in a long-term cure for some patients.
Clinical trials of SIR-Spheres® have been conducted within the framework of rigorous scientific protocols in major teaching hospitals and cancer centers. Phase I, II and III trials have been completed. In Australia and New Zealand, most patients had secondary (metastatic) liver cancer, while in Hong Kong primary liver cancer was predominant.
Generally, patients with secondary liver cancer were treated by combining SIR-Spheres® with hepatic artery chemotherapy (outside of clinical trials, the majority of patients are treated using systemic chemotherapy). The results for both groups of patients showed response rates higher than other forms of treatment. In both the Asian and Australian trials, the conditions of some patients with very advanced liver cancer were down-staged to the point where their tumors were surgically removed for potential cure after treatment with SIR-Spheres®.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration granted pre-market approval (PMA) to SIR-Spheres® in March 2002 for the treatment of unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases.
Patients suitable for treatment with SIR-Spheres® generally:
Have inoperable secondary (from colorectal primary) liver cancer
Have the liver as the major site of the disease
Have sufficient remaining healthy liver still functioning satisfactorily
Are well enough to tolerate the implant
Meet the pre-selection criteria, as determined by their doctors pre-treatment testing
SIR-Spheres® are contraindicated in patients who have:
Had previous external beam radiation therapy to the liver
Ascites, or are in clinical liver failure
Markedly abnormal synthetic and excretory liver function tests
Tumors amenable to surgical resection for cure
Greater than 20 percent lung shunting (determined by the nuclear medicine breakthrough scan)
Pre-assessment angiograms and MAA nuclear scans that demonstrate significant reflux of hepatic arterial blood to the stomach, pancreas or bowel
Widely disseminated or extra-hepatic disease
Been treated with capecitabine within the previous two months, or who will be treated with capecitabine at any time following treatment with SIR-Spheres®
When the contraindications and precautions are observed, serious side effects, such as gastritis and peptic ulceration may develop in the weeks after treatment. To prevent that, patients are often placed on medication for the first month. Many patients feel lethargic and may develop nausea with a poor appetite for several days, but this subsides with time and medication. Some patients may develop a low-grade fever that may last for up to one week. Others may develop pain in the abdomen for a few hours after the administration of SIR-Spheres®, but this is easily treated with medication.
Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is a revolutionary treatment for advanced liver cancer that utilizes new technologies to deliver radiation directly to the site of tumors.
Conventional radiotherapy can only be applied to limited areas of the body, and it adversely affects nearby tissues. SIRT, on the other hand, involves the delivery of millions of microscopic radioactive spheres, called SIR-Spheres®, directly to the site of the liver tumors, where they selectively irradiate the tumors. The targeted nature of SIRT enables doctors to deliver up to 40 times more radiation to the liver tumors than would be possible using conventional radiotherapy.
The anti-cancer effect is concentrated in the liver and there is little effect on cancer at other sites such as the lungs or bones.
Treatment with SIR-Spheres® is generally not regarded as a cure, but has been shown to shrink the cancer when combined with chemotherapy more than chemotherapy alone. This can increase life expectancy and improve quality of life. On occasion, patients treated with SIR-Spheres® have had such marked shrinkage of the liver cancer that the cancer can be surgically removed at a later date. This has resulted in a long-term cure for some patients.
Clinical trials of SIR-Spheres® have been conducted within the framework of rigorous scientific protocols in major teaching hospitals and cancer centers. Phase I, II and III trials have been completed. In Australia and New Zealand, most patients had secondary (metastatic) liver cancer, while in Hong Kong primary liver cancer was predominant.
Generally, patients with secondary liver cancer were treated by combining SIR-Spheres® with hepatic artery chemotherapy (outside of clinical trials, the majority of patients are treated using systemic chemotherapy). The results for both groups of patients showed response rates higher than other forms of treatment. In both the Asian and Australian trials, the conditions of some patients with very advanced liver cancer were down-staged to the point where their tumors were surgically removed for potential cure after treatment with SIR-Spheres®.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration granted pre-market approval (PMA) to SIR-Spheres® in March 2002 for the treatment of unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases.
Patients suitable for treatment with SIR-Spheres® generally:
Have inoperable secondary (from colorectal primary) liver cancer
Have the liver as the major site of the disease
Have sufficient remaining healthy liver still functioning satisfactorily
Are well enough to tolerate the implant
Meet the pre-selection criteria, as determined by their doctors pre-treatment testing
SIR-Spheres® are contraindicated in patients who have:
Had previous external beam radiation therapy to the liver
Ascites, or are in clinical liver failure
Markedly abnormal synthetic and excretory liver function tests
Tumors amenable to surgical resection for cure
Greater than 20 percent lung shunting (determined by the nuclear medicine breakthrough scan)
Pre-assessment angiograms and MAA nuclear scans that demonstrate significant reflux of hepatic arterial blood to the stomach, pancreas or bowel
Widely disseminated or extra-hepatic disease
Been treated with capecitabine within the previous two months, or who will be treated with capecitabine at any time following treatment with SIR-Spheres®
When the contraindications and precautions are observed, serious side effects, such as gastritis and peptic ulceration may develop in the weeks after treatment. To prevent that, patients are often placed on medication for the first month. Many patients feel lethargic and may develop nausea with a poor appetite for several days, but this subsides with time and medication. Some patients may develop a low-grade fever that may last for up to one week. Others may develop pain in the abdomen for a few hours after the administration of SIR-Spheres®, but this is easily treated with medication.
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