- Home
- Primary liver cancer
- Treatment
- Radiation therapy: SIRT and SBRT
Radiation therapy for primary liver cancer
Radiation therapy is emerging as a treatment option for primary liver cancer. Two techniques may be offered in specific cases.
Learn more about:
- Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT)
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
- Video: What is radioembolisation or SIRT?
SIRT
Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) may be offered for HCC when the tumours can’t be removed with surgery or to shrink tumours before surgery or a liver transplant.
SIRT is not available in all hospitals. If you don’t have private health insurance that covers this treatment, you may need to pay for it yourself. Talk to your doctor about SIRT and the costs involved.
How does the SIRT process work?
Also called radioembolisation, SIRT is a treatment that precisely targets cancers in the liver with high doses of radiation while causing little damage to normal liver tissue. It uses tiny radioactive beads known by the brand name SIR-Spheres.
SIRT can be given as a single treatment to the whole liver or separate treatments to the right and left lobes.
The procedure is done by an interventional radiologist.
1. Before treatment (work-up day) |
|
2. During treatment (delivery day) |
|
3. After treatment |
|
SBRT
Some cancer centres offer a form of external radiation therapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). You will lie on a treatment table and a machine will deliver tightly focused beams of high-dose radiation precisely onto the tumour from many different angles.
SBRT may be offered to people with HCC tumours that can’t be removed with surgery or treated with tumour ablation or TACE. SBRT may also be offered to people to shrink tumours while they are waiting for a liver transplant.
Video: What is radioembolisation or SIRT?
Dr Simon So explains how radioembolisation or SIRT is used to treat liver cancer.
Podcast: Making Treatment Decisions
Listen now
More resources
Dr David Yeo, Hepatobiliary/Transplant Surgeon, Royal Prince Alfred, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Cancer Centre and St George Hospitals, NSW; Dr Lorraine Chantrill, Head of Department Medical Oncology, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, NSW; Michael Coulson, Consumer; Dr Sam Davis, Interventional Radiologist, Staff Specialist, Royal Brisbane and Women‘s Hospital, QLD; Prof Chris Karapetis, Network Clinical Director (Cancer Services), Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Head, Department of Medical Oncology, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, SA; Dr Howard Liu, Radiation Oncologist, Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Lina Sharma, Consumer; Dr Graham Starkey, Hepato-Biliary and General Surgeon, Austin Hospital, VIC; Catherine Trevaskis, Gastrointestinal Cancer Specialist Nurse, Canberra Hospital and Health Services, ACT; Dr Michael Wallace, Western Australia Liver Transplant Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA.
View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.
View all publications or call 13 11 20 for free printed copies.
Need to talk?
Support services
Coping with cancer?
Speak to a health professional or to someone who has been there, or find a support group or forum
Looking for transport, accommodation or home help?
Practical advice and support during and after treatment
Cancer information
Making cancer treatment decisions
Decision-making steps, consent and second opinions
What is radiation therapy?
Key questions about radiation therapy as part of cancer treatment