Positron emission tomography/CT after yttrium-90 radioembolization: Current and future applications

摘要

Radioembolization with yttrium-90 (90Y) microspheres is a minimally embolic intraarterial therapy for the treatment of primary and secondary hepatic malignancies. This therapy requires appropriate tumor targeting for safety and efficacy. This tumor targeting is challenging secondary to the inability to visualize microsphere delivery during infusion and the lack of a means to discern microsphere distribution after delivery. Although brems-strahlung imaging can be used to assess microsphere distribution after treatment, this modality is limited by poor spatial resolution (1). Following our proof of concept publication in 2011 demonstrating that standard positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging immediately after radioembolization can be used to assess the localization of ~(90)Y microspheres, there has been much enthusiasm regarding the potential clinical applications of this technique (2).