Yttrium-90

Last updated
Yttrium-90
General
Symbol 90Y
Names yttrium-90
Protons (Z)39
Neutrons (N)51
Nuclide data
Half-life (t1/2)64.05±0.05 h [1]
Isotopes of yttrium
Complete table of nuclides

Yttrium-90 (90
Y
) is a radioactive isotope of yttrium. Yttrium-90 has found a wide range of uses in radiation therapy to treat some forms of cancer. [2] It is sometimes called radioyttrium (as might be other radioisotopes of the element).

Contents

Decay

90
Y
undergoes beta particles emissions/decay (β decay) to zirconium-90 with a half-life of 64.05 hours [1] and a decay energy of 2.28 MeV with an average beta energy of 0.9336 MeV. [3] It also produces 0.01% 1.7 MeV [4] gamma rays during a branch to an excited 0+ state of 90Zr, the decay of that state by pair production has been the subject of study for potential use, despite its rarity. [5]

Production

Yttrium-90 is produced by the nuclear decay of strontium-90 which has a half-life of nearly 29 years and is a fission product of uranium used in nuclear reactors. As the strontium-90 decays, chemical high-purity separation is used to isolate the yttrium-90 before precipitation. [6] [7] Yttrium-90 is also directly produced by neutron activation of natural yttrium (89Y) targets in a nuclear research reactor.

Medical application

90Y plays a significant role in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), leukemia, and lymphoma, although it has the potential to treat a range of tumors. [8] Trans-arterial radioembolization is a procedure performed by interventional radiologists, in which 90Y microspheres are injected into the arteries supplying the tumor. [9] The microspheres come in two forms: resin, in which 90Y is bound to the surface, and glass, in which 90Y is directly incorporated into the microsphere during production. [10] Once injected, the microspheres become lodged in blood vessels surrounding the tumor and the resulting radiation damages the nearby tissue. [11] The distribution of the microspheres is dependent on several factors, including catheter tip positioning, distance to branching vessels, rate of injection, properties of particles, like size and density, and variability in tumor perfusion. [11] Radioembolization with 90Y significantly prolongs time-to-progression (TTP) of HCC, [12] has a tolerable adverse event profile, and improves patient quality of life more than do similar therapies. [13] 90Y has also found uses in tumor diagnosis by imaging the Bremsstrahlung radiation released by the microspheres. [14] Positron emission tomography after radioembolization is also possible. [15]

Post-treatment imaging

Following treatment with 90Y, imaging is performed to evaluate 90Y delivery and absorption to evaluate coverage of target regions and involvement of normal tissue. This is typically performed using Bremsstrahlung imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography CT (SPECT/CT), or using 90Y position imaging with positron emission tomography CT (PET/CT).

Bremsstrahlung imaging after 90Y therapy

As 90Y undergoes beta decay, broad spectrum bremsstrahlung radiation is emitted and is detectable with standard gamma cameras or SPECT. [16] [8] These modalities provide information about radioactive uptake of 90Y, however, there is poor spatial information. [16] [8] Consequently, it is challenging to delineate anatomy and thereby evaluate tumor and normal tissue uptake. This led to the development of SPECT/CT, which combines the functional information of SPECT with the spatial information of CT to allow for more accurate 90Y localization. [16] [8]

Positron imaging after 90Y therapy

PET/CT and PET/MRI have superior spatial resolution compared to SPECT/CT because PET detects positron pairs produced from the decay of emitted positrons, negating the requirement for a physical collimator. [16] [8] This allows for better assessment of microsphere distribution and dose absorption. However, both PET/CT and PET/MRI are less widely available and more costly. [16] [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
  2. DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, Weinberg RA, DePinho RA (1 April 2008). DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's cancer: principles & practice of oncology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 2507. ISBN   978-0-7817-7207-5 . Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  3. "Live Chart of Nuclides". International Atomic Energy Agency. 2009. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  4. Rault E, Vandenberghe S, Staelens S, Lemahieu T (2009). Optimization of Yttrium-90 Bremsstrahlung Imaging with Monte Carlo Simulations. 4th European Conference of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering. Vol. 22. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 500–504. ISBN   9783540892083 . Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  5. d'Arienzo, Marco (2013). "Emission of β+ Particles Via Internal Pair Production in the 0+ – 0+ Transition of 90Zr: Historical Background and Current Applications in Nuclear Medicine Imaging". Atoms. 1 (1): 2–12. Bibcode:2013Atoms...1....2D. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.361.5234 . doi: 10.3390/atoms1010002 . S2CID   17248197.
  6. Chinol M, Hnatowich DJ (September 1987). "Generator-produced yttrium-90 for radioimmunotherapy". Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 28 (9): 1465–70. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.543.5481 . PMID   3625298.
  7. "PNNL: Isotope Sciences Program - Yttrium-90 Production". PNNL. February 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-23.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tong, Aaron K. T.; Kao, Yung Hsiang; Too, Chow Wei; Chin, Kenneth F. W.; Ng, David C. E.; Chow, Pierce K. H. (June 2016). "Yttrium-90 hepatic radioembolization: clinical review and current techniques in interventional radiology and personalized dosimetry". The British Journal of Radiology. 89 (1062): 20150943. doi:10.1259/bjr.20150943. ISSN   1748-880X. PMC   5258157 . PMID   26943239.
  9. Kallini JR, Gabr A, Salem R, Lewandowski RJ (May 2016). "Transarterial Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma". Advances in Therapy. 33 (5): 699–714. doi:10.1007/s12325-016-0324-7. PMC   4882351 . PMID   27039186.
  10. Semaan, Sahar; Makkar, Jasnit; Lewis, Sara; Chatterji, Manjil; Kim, Edward; Taouli, Bachir (November 2017). "Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Response After 90Y Radioembolization" . American Journal of Roentgenology. 209 (5): W263 –W276. doi: 10.2214/AJR.17.17993 . ISSN   0361-803X. PMID   29072955.
  11. 1 2 "Understanding SIR-Spheres Y-90 Resin Microspheres". Colorectal Cancer Alliance. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  12. Salem R, Gordon AC, Mouli S, Hickey R, Kallini J, Gabr A, et al. (December 2016). "Y90 Radioembolization Significantly Prolongs Time to Progression Compared With Chemoembolization in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma". Gastroenterology. 151 (6): 1155–1163.e2. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2016.08.029. PMC   5124387 . PMID   27575820.
  13. Salem R, Gilbertsen M, Butt Z, Memon K, Vouche M, Hickey R, et al. (October 2013). "Increased quality of life among hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with radioembolization, compared with chemoembolization". Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 11 (10): 1358–1365.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2013.04.028 . PMID   23644386.
  14. Wright CL, Zhang J, Tweedle MF, Knopp MV, Hall NC (2015-04-22). "Theranostic Imaging of Yttrium-90". BioMed Research International. 2015: 481279. doi: 10.1155/2015/481279 . PMC   4464848 . PMID   26106608.
  15. Kao, Y. H.; Steinberg, J. D.; Tay, Y. S.; Lim, G. K.; Yan, J.; Townsend, D. W.; Takano, A.; Burgmans, M. C.; Irani, F. G.; Teo, T. K.; Yeow, T. N.; Gogna, A.; Lo, R. H.; Tay, K. H.; Tan, B. S.; Chow, P. K.; Satchithanantham, S.; Tan, A. E.; Ng, D. C.; Goh, A. S. (2013). "Post-radioembolization yttrium-90 PET/CT - part 1: Diagnostic reporting". EJNMMI Research. 3 (1): 56. doi: 10.1186/2191-219X-3-56 . PMC   3726297 . PMID   23883566.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Rice, Mitchell; Krosin, Matthew; Haste, Paul (October 2021). "Post Yttrium-90 Imaging". Seminars in Interventional Radiology. 38 (4): 460–465. doi:10.1055/s-0041-1735569. ISSN   0739-9529. PMC   8497086 . PMID   34629714.