Theraspere Treatment / Progen PI-88 ?

I would also look outside of the “Therasphere” brand name. The protocol is called radioemboilization and brachytherapy. They also refer to “microsperes” or “nanospheres”. At a recent summit on this treatment the leaders in the field prepared a standard for the use of these in treatment of gastrointestinal cancers and seemed to indicate that there may be big differences in the quality of application. Bad side-effects were attributed to centers applying the protocol in a haphazard way. Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson would of course be very good but I’d research the facility before undergoing treatnment. As I said in an earlier post, my conclusion was that Dr. Andrew Kennedy had sort of written the book on this resaerch and so he is my choice for my wife’s BDC. The liver studies he did were really impressive in terms of survival.

My husband has intraheptic with about the same mass. He received approval for the treatment by AETNA and had half the treatment done two weeks ago at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver Colorado. You might contact UCH Interventional Radiology at 303-372-6130 to see how they got it approved, it was approved very quickly. I can’t tell you yet if it has helped or not, I can tell you it made my husband very sick for the first two weeks, and he’s still unable to eat as he did before and definately is very weak and fatigued but they tell you that will happen. I’ll let you know how he progresses, at first blush I almost wish he hadn’t had the treatment because he suffered a lot with it, but if it ends up in the long run making him feel better then I guess it was worth it.

Hi Tom,

Here’s a listing of treatment centers for Theraspheres, http://www.nordion.com/therasphere/map/default.asp?section=1&currentpage=5

Good luck,

G