Yttrium-90 used to treat colon cancer: Awaiting investigational new drug approval

A new radiation treatment takes just 14 to 21 days to shrink colorectal tumors in laboratory mice, is under review for clinical trials with human cancer patients. The treatment has succeeded in reducing the size of tumors by up to 95%. Colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, is extremely difficult to treat unless it is detected early enough for surgical procedures. In laboratory tests over the last 5 years, a team of researchers has developed the treatment using yttrium-90. The yttrium-90 is transported to the tumors by attaching it to monoclonal antibodies that seek out the cancer cells. Once the radioisotope has been targeted to the tumor, the radiation destroys many of the cells, dramatically reducing the size of the tumor. Since this treatment usually does not completely eliminate all the cancer cells, it cannot be called a cure, but it does seem to be an effective method of shrinking colorectal tumors