Every new technology can save countless patients' lives. Yttrium 90 microsphere therapy brings new hope for more patients with liver cancer. What kind of technology is this? In the words of Zhang Lin, deputy chief physician of the Interventional Department of the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Center of Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital in Beijing, small microspheres bring great hope. As the first interventional physician in the mainland to obtain the Y90 global qualification certification, Zhang Lin said that the Y90 microsphere technology is a minimally invasive technology to deliver the microspheres containing the radioisotope Y90 to the liver tumor site through the means of vascular intervention, and accurately treat the liver tumor focus. "Yttrium 90 microsphere will emit pure β The average penetration distance of X-ray in human tissues is about 2.5 mm, and the average half-life is 64.2 hours. It has high radiation energy, precise treatment and high safety, and it can carry out precise attack on tumors from inside out. " He said. Yttrium 90 microsphere technology has four characteristics. First of all, it has a strong tumor-shrinking effect. The effect on tumor control is very obvious. It can kill cancer cells well and make the tumor shrink. Secondly, the curative effect of liver cancer with tumor thrombus is better than other treatment methods. Tumor embolus generally refers to the cancerous embolus formed during the growth and metastasis of malignant tumor, many of which will grow into the blood vessels, which increases the difficulty of surgical treatment. Third, it can promote the regeneration of the remaining liver. While controlling cancer cells, Y90 microspheres can also promote the growth of healthy liver cells and create better conditions for the second-stage operation. Fourth, the comfort of minimally invasive surgery is strong. Minimally invasive interventional surgery injects microspheres into the liver cancer site through the femoral artery or radial artery. It can be completed under local anesthesia without general anesthesia. The whole operation has almost no discomfort. Compared with ordinary radiotherapy technology, yttrium 90 microsphere technology has the advantages of higher radiation dose, smaller radiation range and more accurate effect, so it has less impact on patients' body and less side effects than ordinary radiotherapy technology. At the same time, the intervention of Y90 microsphere can be completed only once, while the ordinary radiotherapy needs to be repeated regularly, which can save more time for patients. "Yttrium 90 microsphere can be used for different stages of liver cancer." Zhang Lin said that early liver cancer can completely kill cancer cells after interventional surgery, completely cure liver cancer and avoid surgery; For patients with advanced liver cancer, it can help reduce the tumor and meet the standard of surgery or transplantation; Palliative treatment can also be carried out for patients with advanced liver cancer, and combined with systemic targeted immunization to prolong the life cycle of patients. Zhang Lin reminded that Y90 microspheres are also not recommended for interventional therapy: hepatoma tumors account for more than 70% of the liver volume; The metastasis range of liver cancer is too large, and the whole body tumor load is heavy; Poor liver function, ascites and jaundice; Poor physical condition, unable to take care of themselves. (Xinhua News Agency)