The latest European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical guidelines, published in the Annals of Oncology journal, recommend radioembolisation, specifically with Yttrium-90 resin microspheres, as a way to prolong time to liver tumour progression in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients who have previously failed to respond to chemotherapy treatment.
SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres are used to deliver radioembolisation, or SIRT, a technology used for liver tumours that cannot be operated upon, and that delivers substantial, targeted doses of radiation directly to the tumor, making it a minimally invasive radiation therapy technique.
Through a catheter infusion, millions of SIR-Spheres microspheres are directed into the liver, where they can target cancer cells with a radiation dose up to 40 times higher than the one used in traditional radiotherapy, while preserving the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor area.
These spheres are produced by Sirtex Medical Limited and are indicated in the United States for the treatment of non-resectable metastatic liver tumours from primary colorectal cancer in combination with intra-hepatic artery chemotherapy using floxuridine.
According to the new ESMO guidelines, 447,000 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) are reported annually in Europe, making it the second most-common cancer among both men and women. Importantly, 25% of these patients will already have metastasis (usually in the liver) at the time of diagnosis, and 50% will eventually suffer from mCRC.
“We are very pleased that the authors of major international clinical guidelines in the treatment of mCRC have singled out radioembolisation, and particularly our unique product, SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres, as an appropriate treatment for patients with colorectal liver metastases that have failed to respond to chemotherapy,” Nigel Lange, CEO of Sirtex Medical Europe GmbH said in a PR Newswire press release. “We believe the new ESMO clinical guidelines will have an immediate effect on improving patient access to SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres across Europe.”
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These new guidelines were based on the results of a Phase 3, multi-center randomised controlled study, where intravenous fluorouracil infusion was compared with yttrium-90 resin microspheres for liver-limited metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard chemotherapy.
Furthermore, Sirtex has announced it completed patient recruitment for SIRFLOX, a randomised clinical study comparing SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres in combination with standard chemotherapy to standard chemotherapy alone for the treatment of patients recently diagnosed with inoperable mCRC. The results from this trail are expected to be announced in 2015.
