Bile Duct Cancer TheraSphere®
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TheraSphere® Treatment for Bile Duct Cancer
TheraSphere® is a treatment for bile duct cancer that has metastasized to the liver. This innovative, internal radiation therapy technique uses tiny glass beads, called microspheres, to deliver radiation directly to cancerous tumors in the liver.
We use TheraSphere to treat unresectable (inoperable) liver cancer, and cancers that metastasize to the liver from other parts of the body, such as the colon, lungs, breast or pancreas.
TheraSphere uses tiny glass beads, called microspheres, to deliver radiation directly to cancerous tumors in the liver. Measuring one-third the diameter of a human hair, these tiny microspheres are embedded with a radioactive element to help kill liver cancer cells.
TheraSphere radiation therapy is delivered to a tumor through a catheter that the physician guides into the hepatic artery, the liver’s main blood vessel. The physician then inserts the microspheres directly through the catheter into the tumor’s blood supply. Once in the liver, the microspheres get trapped in the small blood vessels that feed the tumor, and radiation gets delivered directly to the tumor.
The advantages of receiving TheraSphere treatment for liver cancer include:
- It’s a convenient, outpatient treatment.
- This internal radiation therapy technique utilizes the tumor’s blood supply to deliver the treatment precisely and directly into the tumor, while sparing nearby healthy tissue from damage.
Many liver cancer patients who have reached their maximum tolerance dose of traditional radiation may be candidates for TheraSphere treatment. At CTCA, our radiation oncologists and other physicians will work with you to determine if TheraSphere radiation therapy is a viable treatment option for you.
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