Yttrium-90 for colorectal liver metastasis - the promising role of radiation segmentectomy as an alternative local cure

Abstract

The majority of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) to the liver are not amenable to curative-intent surgery or thermal ablation; there is a need for alternative locoregional therapies to control oligometastatic liver disease. Sequential lobar Yttrium-90 (Y90) radioembolization has demonstrated favorable results in the salvage setting for CRC patients with liver only or liver-dominant metastatic disease, but the role of Y90 in earlier-stage disease has not shown to be as promising. Recently, radiation segmentectomy, the super selective delivery of high (ablative) dose Y90 microspheres, has been introduced as a novel approach for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. This review provides an overview of the current role of Y90 radioembolization for CRC patients with metastasis to the liver, with specific focus on the evolving application of radiation segmentectomy for patients with limited hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.

Keywords:

• Colon cancer
• metastatic liver disease
• radioembolization
• segmental radioembolization
• radiation segmentectomy

Disclosure statement

R.S. is a consultant for Boston Scientific and Sirtex Medical. R.J.L is a consultant for Boston Scientific. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).