Y-90 liver cancer treatment: What's your experience?

Hi Gailvar,

I'm Diane and post on this thread regularly. Because of having Hep C and cirrhosis am a little over two years into liver cancer, HC called hepatocellular carcinoma. I've had two mappings and three radiation shoots with Y90. I'm happy to report every tumor they shot died. They are still there but appear on a CT as just a black hole, The first y90 treatment didn't have many side effects at all but the last two were kind of tough. A lot of fatigue, stomach pain (it felt like I had a screwdriver sticking in my side), loss of appetite. In both cases it lasted 5 weeks and zoom, gone.

My liver is in pretty good shape for having cirrhosis, meld score 7 and normal liver enzymes.
Did you have one or multiple tumors in your liver? I'm anxious to know what you discover on the ct on the 15th. Hope it's all in retreat or dead.

Just a quick question, what hospital are you having this done in?

Hi Colleen and thanks so much for reaching out! I think I figured out how to get the emails of new notifications so thank you.
My original cancer was squamous cell anal cancer with lymph node involvement. Then it metastasized to the liver.
I was treated for the original tumor and it’s gone but the liver Mets were more concerning.
My dr felt Y90 was the best bet as I was not a surgery candidate.
I have a scan on June 15th to see how it worked. I’m very hopeful.
However it does have side effects and I get daily fevers and extreme fatigue. I’m 4 weeks out from the last procedure.
I’ll keep the group posted as to my results.

Welcome @gailvar. I see from your settings that you are following the Cancer group of which this discussion is a part. To get emails for every post, please see the instructions with helpful pictures in this blog post
- How to Get Emails for Every Post https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/am-i-missing-out-where-did-all-the-emails-go/

May I ask what type of cancer you have? How did the Y90 treatment go for you? How are you doing?

How do I get on the email list for this group? I have had Y90 this year and would like to stay connected and get updates. Thx

I have y90 three times now and to date its killed everything it's shot at. Went for 10 months with no new tumors them another one popped up. I would get y90 every time they would give it to me.

The process is not bad. They will do a "dry run" called mapping using die so they know where to put the radiation beads. About three weeks late they will do the actual shoot with the radiation beads. It zaps my strength and energy and creates a pain in my side that feels like someone stuck a screwdriver in my side (which they control with meds) then about two weeks later I 'm all good. It has a pretty high effective rate and not near as symptomatic as chemo.

I sure would ask an Interventional Radiology doc about it.

Diane

Hi @rezmo, welcome to the group. Has radioembolization (Y-90) been mentioned as a possible treatment for you? A clinical trial? Is surgery an option for you?

I have bile duct cancer with a 5.2cm growth plus several smaller spots on my liver. I would be interested in hearing about this too.

Alfonso 22 I pray the y90 you are doing again helps. These are difficult choices we make and pray the treatment works. As always ask many many questions and make your decision. Cancer is a double speak language in that it changes its language when it finds another area and like a chameleon it changes its course. Doctors and scientists must find the paths that cancer undertakes. I read in England they are doing a type of technique that diverts blood flow to liver and the chemo are sent directly to the liver without toxicity to the rest of the body ..and then the blood is redirected again to the liver to continue as before. I think I have written this therapy correctly here. Look it up as I think it is on trial basis…the cure is somewhere in big pharma options but just imagine the loss of monies on toxic chems that they push…we caregivers who have lost a partner or relative must be proactive and oush for government funding to find the cure for the sake of others.
Senator Klobuchar was diagnosed wiTh cancer, as a government elite she got top care and I assumed she would be coming out fighting for more funding. She is in remission and I pray she is doing well however not a word from her position indicating funding from the government to fund new innovative therapies. Truly sad that our letter officials who have access to the finest health care do not fight more for the ordinary citizens who fight cancer everyday.
We have the finest hospitals in the USA and some the most brilliant minds in medicine, and they need more funding to research.
The cure is within reach we must all speak out and fight for more therapies. I pray that God will give me the strength to speak out loud and clear about this.
May you be blest and May The Holy Spirit guide you, bless you and cure you.
Yiannis

Today I talked to my Doctor about my Y90 treatment tumor is going down in 3 months a MRI to check progress and some blood test. also Doctor said we can see if there is more options in case I need it or 2nd dosis of Y90. I am not going to do the transplant just accepting this endless battle with cancer, and try to live to my best of quality of life so far doing good no paint or any major problems Thanks God. hope I can live for awhile but again is on Gods plans for me. Thank you for all your help and comments realy help me a lot lets stay kind to each other life is too short.

Susan thank you from the heart for your kind note and it is sincerely appreciated. The loss of your soulmate is one of the most difficult things in life. Love continues for a life time even after life is gone. We who are left must place ourselves in the other’s footsteps to know what their suffering is and was. We live for each other and love each other as we were meant to be. The solace I have found in what was written 3000 years ago about the Tree of Life to which we all go and then return. As my late mom used to say to me that souls that are in love are destined to meet again to continue their journey. Memories that are kept alive by we that remain back makes the departed ones live. Never forget them and you are correct that the journey made in love always ends in love again and again.
My sweetheart left notes all over about his journey with cancer and I am finding them in all places. And I am putting them together for they are an amazing testament of a deep soul thinker and visionary. We are all visionaries and soul thinkers but we must reach down and touch our soul to discover its beauty.
Again thank you for your note and we must all keep in touch with those whose journey with cancer is ongoing to give encouragement and strength.
May Our Creator Bless Everyone