Application of radioactive iodine-125 microparticles in hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein embolus

BACKGROUND Radioactive iodine-125(125I)microparticle therapy is a new type of internal radiation therapy that has shown unique advantages in the treatment of malignant tumors,especially hepatocellular carcinoma.Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma frequently experience portal vein embolism,which exacerbates the difficulty and complexity of treatment.125I particles,used in local radiotherapy,can directly act on tumor tissue and reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue.Through retrospective analysis,this study discussed the efficacy and safety of radioactive 125I particles in portal vein embolization patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in order to provide more powerful evidence supporting clinical treatment.AIM To investigate the effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with portal vein 125I particle implantation in the treatment of primary liver cancer patients with portal vein tumor thrombus and its influence on liver function.METHODS The clinical data of 96 patients with primary liver cancer combined with portal vein tumor thrombus admitted to our hospital between January 2020 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Fifty-two patients received treatment with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and implantation of 125I particles in the portal vein(combination group),while 44 patients received treatment with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone(control group).The therapeutic effects on tumor lesions,primary liver cancer,and portal vein tumor embolisms were compared between the two groups.Changes in relevant laboratory indexes before and after treatment were evaluated.The t test was used to compare the measurement data between the two groups,and the χ^(2) test was used to compare the counting data between groups.RESULTS The tumor lesion response rate in the combination group(59.62%vs 38.64%)and the response rate of patients with primary liver cancer complicated with portal vein tumor thrombus(80.77%vs 59.09%)were significantly greater than those in the control group(χ^(2)=4.196,5.421;P=0.041,0.020).At 8 wk after surgery,the serum alpha-fetoprotein,portal vein main diameter,and platelet of the combined group were significantly lower than those of the control group,and the serum alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,and total bilirubin were significantly greater than those of the control group(t=3.891,3.291,2.330,3.729,3.582,4.126;P<0.05).The serum aspartate aminotransferase,alanine aminotransferase,and total bilirubin levels of the two groups were significantly greater than those of the same group 8 wk after surgery(P<0.05),and the peripheral blood platelet,alphafetoprotein,and main portal vein diameter were significantly less than those of the same group before surgery(P<0.05).CONCLUSION In patients with primary liver cancer and a thrombus in the portal vein,transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus portal vein 125I implantation is more effective than transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone.However,during treatment it is crucial to pay attention to liver function injury caused by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

To explore the curative effect of CT-guided Iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation in the treatment of stage Ⅳprimary hepatocellular carcinoma

Objectives: To explore the clinical efficacy and survival of CT-guided Iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation in the treatment of stage Ⅳ primary hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods: A retrospective study of 62 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma in our hospital from January2017 to December 2018 [60 males, 2 females, age(52.76 ± 10.82) years old], All patients were implanted with Iodine-125 radioactive seeds under CT guidance, followed up regularly after operation to observe the clinical efficacy, including comparison of changes in cancer size before and after treatment, tumor marker AFP, and improvement in complications such as abdominal pain and ascites. Follow-up 3–36 months to assess patient survival.Results: Among the 62 patients, 3 months after Iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation, 5 cases(8.1%) had complete remission of cancer, 33 cases(53.2%) had partial remission, 12 cases(19.4%) had stable lesions, and 12 cases(19.4%) had disease progression. The effective rate was 61.3%. The tumor volume(31.44 ± 14.51 cm3) was significantly smaller than before(50.96 ± 30.13 cm3)(t=5.303, p < 0.05). The tumor marker AFP(69.28 ±50.99) ug/L of 3 months after implantation was significantly lower than that before treatment(90.63 ± 68.58)ug/L(t=3.702, P < 0.05). The average survival time of Iodine-125 seed implantation for stageⅣhepatocellular carcinoma is 11.47 ± 0.85 months, and the median survival time is 9 months. The survival time of the group with better pathological differentiation(grade Ⅰ+ⅡⅠ) was significantly better than that of the group with poor differentiation(grade Ⅲ+Ⅳ)(x2=6.869 p < 0.05). Among the 38 patients with different degrees of abdominal pain,22 patients improved better than before;15 of 28 patients with different degrees of ascites were better than before. All patients had no serious complications related to treatment.Conclusions: Iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation therapy can safely and effectively treat hepatocellular carcinoma, and relieve the clinical symptoms of abdominal pain and ascites.

Iodine-125 interstitial brachytherapy for experimental liver cancer

Objective：To study the effect of iodine-125 interstitial brachytherapy on liver cancer. Methods： Animal model of human liver cancer was established by injecting SMMC-7721 cells cultivated in vitro subcutaneously into the flank of BALB/c nude mice. Nude mice with tumor of 5 mm in diameter were randomly divided into 2 groups （n = 10）. One iodine-125 seed of apparent activity 0.8 mCi was implanted into the center of tumor in treatment group, whereas an inactive seed was implanted in control group. The other 20 nude mice with tumor reaching 10 mm in diameter were also treated as above. The size of tumor was determined weekly after implantation, and pathological examination and blood routine were taken on the 28th day. Results： Tumor growth was obviously inhibited in treatment group of tumor of 5 mm in diameter, and there was statistically significant difference in tumor volume between treatment and control groups （P〈0.01）. Around iodine-125 seed, apparent necrosis of tumor was shown in treatment group, accompanied by karyopyknosis and reduced plasma in residual tumor cells microscopically. Tumor growth was not inhibited in either treatment or control group of tumor of 10 mm in diameter. There was no obvious adverse effect except for decreased white blood cells in treatment groups. Conclusion： There is certain effect of iodine-125 interstitial braehytherapy on liver cancer, which is associated with the size of tumor.

Implanting iodine-125 seeds into rat dorsal root ganglion for neuropathic pain: neuronal microdamage without impacting hind limb motion

The use of iodine-125 （L251） in cancer treatment has been shown to relieve patients＇ pain. Consid- ering dorsal root ganglia are critical for neural transmission between the peripheral and central nervous systems, we assumed that 125I could be implanted into rat dorsal root ganglia to provide relief for neuropathic pain. 125I seeds with different radioactivity （0, 14.8, 29.6 MBq） were im- planted separately through L4-5 and L5-6 intervertebral foramen into the vicinity of the L5 dorsal root ganglion, von Frey hair results demonstrated the mechanical pain threshold was elevated after implanting 125I seeds from the high radioactivity group. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that nuclear membrane shrinkage, nucleolar margination, widespread mitochondrial swelling, partial vacuolization, lysosome increase, and partial endoplasmic reticulum dilation were visible at 1,440 hours in the low radioactivity group and at 336 hours in the high radio- activity group. Abundant nuclear membrane shrinkage, partial fuzzy nuclear membrane and endoplasmic reticulum necrosis were observed at 1,440 hours in the high radioactivity group. No significant difference in combined behavioral scores was detected between preoperation and postoperation in the low and high radioactivity groups. These results suggested that the mechan- ical pain threshold was elevated after implanting 125I seeds without influencing motor functions of the hind limb, although cell injury was present.