Dubai hospital performs advanced liver cancer treatment using radioactive microspheres

American Hospital Dubai has successfully performed a sophisticated cancer treatment called Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) on two patients with liver cancer. The procedure marks a significant expansion of the hospital's minimally invasive cancer treatment options.

SIRT offers hope for patients whose liver tumors cannot be surgically removed. The treatment delivers millions of radioactive microspheres directly to tumors through the liver's blood supply, targeting cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.

How does it work?

SIRT delivers radiation directly to liver tumors through the hepatic artery, the main blood vessel that supplies the liver. The procedure involves two carefully planned stages:

• First stage: Doctors create a vascular map using nuclear medicine imaging to ensure safe and accurate delivery of the treatment
• Second stage: Medical teams inject millions of microspheres loaded with yttrium-90, a radioactive substance, through a catheter into the liver

These tiny radioactive beads lodge themselves in and around tumor cells, destroying them from within. The targeted delivery allows doctors to give high radiation doses to tumors while protecting surrounding healthy tissue.

Both patients at American Hospital Dubai tolerated the procedure well with no complications. Follow-up PET-CT scans showed excellent tumor coverage, confirming the treatment's precision and effectiveness.

Why does it matter?

SIRT provides a treatment option for patients who previously had limited choices. The therapy is particularly valuable for:

• Patients with inoperable liver tumors due to location or medical condition
• Cases where previous chemotherapy or other treatments have failed
• Situations requiring precise targeting of liver-dominant cancers

The hospital treated two complex cases that demonstrate SIRT's versatility. One patient had colorectal cancer that had spread to the liver and was located near critical blood vessels, making surgery impossible. The second patient had neuroendocrine cancer that remained after multiple rounds of targeted radiation therapy.

American Hospital Dubai is among the few private healthcare facilities in the UAE offering this treatment, joining global leaders in precision cancer care.

The context

Liver cancer treatment has evolved significantly in recent years, with hospitals increasingly adopting precision medicine approaches that target tumors more accurately. SIRT represents part of this broader shift toward personalized cancer care that minimizes side effects while maximizing treatment effectiveness.

The procedure requires extensive collaboration between specialists. American Hospital Dubai's multidisciplinary tumor board, including interventional radiologists, oncologists, and liver surgeons, assessed both patients before recommending SIRT as the optimal treatment approach.

This development positions the hospital as a regional referral center for complex liver cancers. The success of these initial cases demonstrates the growing availability of advanced cancer treatments in the UAE's private healthcare sector, providing patients with access to therapies previously available only at major international cancer centers.