Y90

Y90 is a safe and highly effective treatment for cancer in the liver that targets tumors with a high dose of radiation without affecting other, healthy parts of the body. Columbia's interventional radiologists were among the first to offer this treatment, and they have performed hundreds of Y90 procedures on patients with liver cancer or other cancers that have metastasized (spread) to the liver.

Y90 refers to the radioactive isotope yttrium90, which is inserted into tiny particles and used to deliver radiation directly to tumors via long, thin tubes called catheters. The treatment is not a cure for cancer in the liver, but it has been shown to prolong lives for months or years and to greatly improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Patients experience few, if any, side effects from Y90 treatment, which is performed in an outpatient setting. Patients generally resume normal activities within one or two weeks.

Y90 treatment can be used in combination with traditional treatments for cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Our interventional radiologists will work with your medical oncologist to determine the proper timing of a Y90 treatment as it relates to your usual chemotherapy or immunotherapy.  It is important to understand that this treatment is not a replacement for the treatments prescribed by your oncologist. In some cases, because it is performed in between your usual treatments, the Y90 procedure can be even more effective in treating the liver tumors.

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