Radioactive microspheres benefit liver met pts

CHICAGO-Median overall survival was 13 months among 52 patients who received radioactive microspheres (SIR-Spheres) for colorectal cancer liver metastases after chemotherapy failure. The phase II Italian SITILO study was reported at ASCO 2008 (abstract 4078).

Clinical benefit was seen in 48% (1 CR, 11 PR, 12 SD). In two patients, liver tumors shrank enough to allow potentially curative surgery to be planned. Among the 24 responders, median survival was 16 months vs 8 months for nonresponders (P = .0006); 40% of responders were alive at 2 years vs none of the nonresponders.

“At a minimum, physicians should consider SIR-Spheres for patients who have liver-only or liver-dominant disease and are failing chemotherapy,” said Prof. Maurizio Cosimelli, of the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome.