This article appeared on our local news last week featuring the doctor that will perform Jon's Selective Internal Radiation Therapy. We see him on May 21.
New liver cancer treatment offers patients hope
09:29 AM PDT on Thursday, May 8, 2008
By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
SEATTLE - When hiker Conway Leovy found out his colon cancer had spread to his liver a second time, the last thing he wanted was chemotherapy.
"One of my criteria was I wanted to be able to live well, as well as I can with cancer," he said.
Unfortunately, Leovy's scan revealed too many tumors to operate or to use radio frequency ablation.
As for standard radiation treatment, Dr. Gaurav Goswami said it's far too dangerous for liver tumors.
"The dose of radiation that would be needed to destroy the tumor would actually end up destroying the entire liver," he said.
In the past, Leovy would have run out of options. But now doctors at the University of Washington have another way to attack liver tumors. It's targeted radiation, using microspheres, one-third the width of a human hair.
"What this procedure does is that it gives us an ability to deliver radiation to the tumor while sparing the normal surrounding liver," said Dr. Goswami.
Through a catheter, the microspheres are injected into the artery leading to the liver, where they travel through the bloodstream, seeking out tumors.
"These radiation particles emit radiation within the tumor and destroy the tumor," said Dr. Goswami.
As a safety precaution, only one lobe of the liver is treated at a time.
Leovy's latest scan was clear.
"In Mr Leovy's case, we do not any evidence of any active tumor," said Dr. Goswami.
"The whole time I felt really well, I feel well now and I'm encouraged that I will have more time to feel well," said Leovy.
Doctors say the treatment isn't suitable for every patient. It just offers one more way to fight cancerous liver tumors.
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