Yttrium-90 radioembolization for advanced inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma

Adverse reactions to therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals

Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs used in treatment or diagnosis that contain a radioactive part, usually a pharmaceutical part in their structure. Adverse drug reactions are harmful and unexpected responses that occur when administered at normal doses. Although radiopharmaceuticals are regarded as safe medical products, adverse reactions should not be ignored. More serious adverse reactions such as myelosuppression, pleural effusion, and death may develop in therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals due to their use at higher doses than those used in diagnosis. Therefore, monitoring adverse reactions and reporting them to health authorities is important. This review aims to provide information about adverse reactions that may be related to radiopharmaceuticals used in treatment.

Clinical consensus statement: Selective internal radiation therapy with yttrium 90 resin microspheres for hepatocellular carcinoma in Asia

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is subject to different management approaches and guidelines according to Eastern and Western therapeutic algorithms. Use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with resin yttrium 90 microspheres for HCC has increased in Asia in recent years, without clearly defined indications for its optimal application. The objective of this systematic review and expert consensus statement is to provide guidance and perspectives on the use of SIRT among patients with HCC in Asia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature review identified current publications on HCC management and SIRT recommendations. A group of 10 experts, representing stakeholder specialties and countries, convened between August 2020 and March 2021 and implemented a modified Delphi consensus approach to develop guidelines and indications for use of SIRT for HCC in Asia. Final recommendations were organized and adjudicated based on the level of evidence and strength of recommendation, per approaches outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.

RESULTS

The experts acknowledged a general lack of evidence relating to use of SIRT in Asia and identified as an unmet need the lack of phase 3 randomized trials comparing clinical outcomes and survival following SIRT versus other therapies for HCC. Through an iterative process, the expert group explored areas of clinical relevance and generated 31 guidance statements and a patient management algorithm that achieved consensus.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations aim to support clinicians in their decision-making and to help them identify and treat patients with HCC using SIRT in Asia. The recommendations also highlight areas in which further clinical trials are needed to define the role of SIRT in management of HCC among Asian populations.

Clinical outcome of Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y-90 SIRT) in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Experience from a tertiary care center

Background and aim

Whereas Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y-90 SIRT) was shown to improve local tumor control in non-Asian population, the efficacy of this therapy for Asian population in real-world setting remains poorly detailed. We aimed to determine outcomes and identify predictors of response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated by Y-90 SIRT.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 52 HCC patients receiving Y-90 SIRT at our tertiary center between 2014 and 2019. Overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and predictive factors were determined by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-proportional hazard analysis.

Results

Of the 52 patients (81% male, mean age 64.9 years), 71% and 29% were classified as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C and B HCC, respectively; 63% had portal vein thrombosis, and 35% had objective tumor response defined by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) criteria. OS and PFS were 11.0 and 2.4 months, respectively. Two patients were successfully down-staged and further underwent surgical resection. Multifocal lesion, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥200 ng/mL, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score ≥1 were significantly associated with poor survival, with adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 7.7 (2.0-29.8), 5.4 (2.0-14.7), and 3.1 (1.0-9.6), respectively (all in P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Y-90 SIRT is an effective treatment for the local tumor control of HCC without serious adverse events. Single lesion, AFP level and ECOG status were predictors of response.

An overview in management of hepatocellular carcinoma in Hong Kong using the Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) staging system

In Hong Kong, liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer deaths. The prevalence of hepatitis B is high in Hong Kong because of the high rate of hepatitis B virus infection, and chronic hepatitis B has remained the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in the city, accounting for 80% of all cases in the period from 1992 to 2016. In view of the different etiologies of hepatocellular carcinoma around the world, a group of liver experts in Hong Kong developed the Hong Kong Liver Cancer staging system in order to provide more aggressive treatment guidance (predominantly a wider use of surgical resection) for Asian patients of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this article focussing on the Hong Kong Liver Cancer staging system, we briefly reviewed the screening criteria adopted in Hong Kong for liver resection, local ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, transcatheter arterial radioembolization, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and systemic therapy.

Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Era of Individualized Therapy: The Experience of a Greek Tertiary Center

Background: The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the era of individualized therapy mandates a multidisciplinary approach and therefore the cooperation of physicians from multiple medical specialties. Treatment selection is based on the stage of the disease. The most prominent staging system is the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification system. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with HCC treated in our department. Patients were originally staged based on the BCLC classification system. However, a multidisciplinary team refined the BCLC classes, using clinical data and biomarkers to tailor an individualized course of treatment. Results: The study population was 63 patients who were BCLC staged at diagnosis as follows: very early (5 patients, 7.9%), early (38 patients, 60.3%), intermediate (14 patients, 22.2%), and advanced (6 patients, 9.5%). Thirty-two patients (50.8%) were treated with surgery and 31 patients (49.2%) with locoregional treatments. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates in the surgery group were 81.3%, 52.9%, and 18.9%, respectively, whereas in the locoregional treatment group, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates were 71.0%, 38.7%, and 19.0%, respectively. The mean overall survival was 35.42 ± 23.54 months for the surgery group and 28.42 ± 23.0 months for the locoregional treatment group. In the surgery group, the mean overall survival of the patients treated with surgery alone was 26.68 ± 21.97 months compared to 48.18 ± 20.26 months for the patients treated with surgery followed by locoregional treatment for recurrence. Conclusion: In this study, patients treated with hepatic resection had higher survival rates than patients treated with locoregional treatments. However, this superiority did not reach statistical significance (P=0.426). Thus, locoregional treatments are highlighted as a valuable alternative to surgery, particularly when hepatic resection is not feasible. Finally, patients who received locoregional treatment following surgery had significantly higher survival compared to patients treated with surgery alone (P=0.038).

A systematic review on the safety and effectiveness of yttrium-90 radioembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis

BACKGROUND/AIM

Over the past two decades, several advances have been made in the management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). Yttrium-90 ( 90 Y) radioembolization has recently been made a treatment option for patients with HCC and PVTT. However, there is still a need to systematicly evaluate the outcomes of 90 Y radioembolization for HCC and PVTT. We aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of 90 Y radioembolization for HCC and PVTT. We performed a systematic review of clinical trials, clinical studies, and abstracts from conferences that qualified for analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, CINAHL, and the "gray" literature (Google Scholar) were searched for all reports (1991-2016) related to 90 Y radioembolization for HCC and PVTT.

RESULTS

A total of 14 clinical studies and three abstracts from conferences including 722 patients qualified for the analysis. The median length of follow-up was 7.2 months; the median time to progression was 5.6 months, and median disease control rate was 74.3%. Radiological response data were reported in five studies, and the median reported value of patients with complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease were 3.2%, 16.5%, 31.3%, and 28%, respectively. The median survival was 9.7 months for all patients, including the median overall survival (OS) were 12.1, 6.1 months of Child-Pugh class A and B patients, and the median OS were 6.1, 13.4 months of main and branch PVTT patients, respectively. The common toxicities were fatigue, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, mostly not requiring medical intervention needed no medication intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

90 Y radioembolization is a safe and effective treatment for HCC and PVTT.