The Liver Tumor Center at the Essen University Hospital has treated its 500th patient with Nordion's TheraSphere, an ytrrium-90 glass microsphere therapy for transarterial radioembolization consisting of millions of tiny glass beads, smaller than the diameter of a human hair. It is licensed to treat both hepatocellular carcinoma and secondary liver cancer.
The product is injected into the hepatic artery through a catheter, which allows the radioactive microspheres to be delivered directly to the tumor via the bloodstream. Reported side effects, which include fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain, are generally mild to moderate and usually disappear within 48 hours.
The Essen Liver Tumor Center is one of the largest in Europe. More than 1,000 liver cancer patients from throughout Europe and the Middle East are treated at the hospital each year.
