Yttrium-90 Radioembolization:  A New Cancer Treatment Paradigm

The best way to reach Dr. Coldwell is to send an email to drcoldwell@radioembolization.com.  Patients, their families, referring physicians are encouraged to get in touch.  After review of your data, including medical history, laboratory studies, prior therapies, and imaging studies, Dr. Coldwell will make a clear and concise recommendation to both you and your physicians as to the course he recommends.

A commonly asked question is whether this therapy is covered by insurance.  Usually the answer is yes.  Radioembolization and the other directed therapies that Dr. Coldwell perfoms are covered by Medicare.  As far as the individual insurance companies go, the staff who work with Dr. Coldwell wll check with your insurance company to pre-certify you before any procedures are performed. 

 Remember that this is cutting edge medicine.  Consequently, there are relatively few papers published, but the number is increasing daily.  A brief bibliography follows.

Bibliography

Kennedy AS, Nutting C, Coldwell DM, et al.:  Pathologic Response and Microdosimetry of 90Y-Microspheres in man:  Review of four explanted whole livers.  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2004; 60(5):1552-63

Murthy R, Nunez R, Szklaruk J, Erwin W, Madoff DC, Gupta S, Ahrar K, Wallace MJ, Cohen A, Coldwell DM, Kennedy AS, Hicks ME. Yttrium-90 microsphere therapy for hepatic malignancy: devices, indications, technical considerations, and potential complications.
Radiographics. 2005;25 Suppl 1:S41-55.

Coldwell DM, Sewell PE.  The expanding role of interventional radiology in the supportive care of the oncology patient: from diagnosis to therapy.  Semin in Oncol 2005;32:169-73.

Kennedy AS, Nutting C, Coldwell DM, et al.:  Resin 90Y-microsphere brachytherapy for unresectable colorectal liver metastases:  Modern USA experience. .  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2006;65:412.

Nag S, Kennedy A, Salem R, Murthy R, McEwan A, Nutting C, Benson A, Espat J, Bilbao I, Sharma R, Thomas J, and Coldwell D.  Recommendations for Radioembolization of Hepatic Malignancies Using Yttrium-90 Microsphere Brachytherapy: A Consensus Panel Report From The Radioembolization Brachytherapy Oncology Consortium (REBOC).  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys (to appear).

Coldwell DM, Kennedy AS, Nutting CW.  The use of resin Y90 microsphere brachytherapy for unresectable hepatic metastases from breast cancer.  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys (to appear).

Kennedy A, Coldwell DM, Nutting CW, Salem R, et al.  Radioembolization for unresectable neuroendocrine hepatic metastases using resin Y-90 microspheres: Early results in 148 patients.  Am J Oncology 2008;31:1-9.