(90)Y microspheres prepared by sol-gel method, promising medical material for radioembolization of liver malignancies

Abstract

A new technology for the production of radiopharmaceutical (90)Y microspheres in the form of spherical yttrium oxide grains obtained by sol-gel method has been described. The authors present and discuss the results of investigations performed in the development of new production technology of yttrium microspheres and determination of their physic-chemical properties. The final product has the structure of spherical yttrium oxide grains with a diameter 25-100μm, is stable and free from contaminants. Irradiation of 20mg samples of grains with diameter of 20-50μm in the thermal neutron flux of 1.7×10(14)cm(-2)s(-1) at the core of MARIA research nuclear reactor allowed to obtain microspheres labelled with the (90)Y isotope on the way of the nuclear reaction (89)Y(n, ɤ)(90)Y. Specific activity of irradiated microspheres has been determined by application of absolute triple to double coincidence ratio method (TDCR) and has been evaluated at 190MBq/mg Y. (90)Y microspheres prepared by the proposed technique can be regarded as a promising medical material for radioembolization of liver malignancies.

Keywords: Dosimetry; Nuclear reactor irradiation; Radioembolization of liver malignancies; Sol-gel method; Spherical yttrium oxide grains; Yttrium-90 microspheres.