{"id":8974,"date":"2023-06-14T15:50:11","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T15:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=8974"},"modified":"2023-06-19T08:06:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T08:06:35","slug":"barriers-to-accessing-a-successful-targeted-liver-cancer-treatment-within-irish-healthcare-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/oncology\/barriers-to-accessing-a-successful-targeted-liver-cancer-treatment-within-irish-healthcare-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Barriers to accessing a successful targeted liver cancer treatment within Irish healthcare system"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"486\" height=\"487\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-8975\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210324\/Cormac.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210324\/Cormac.jpg 486w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210324\/Cormac-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 486px) 100vw, 486px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Dr Cormac Farrelly<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Consultant Interventional Radiologist, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box right round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-8976\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210323\/Brenda-Source-Headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210323\/Brenda-Source-Headshot.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210323\/Brenda-Source-Headshot-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Brenda Byrne BA MSc<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Principal Physicist and Radiation Protection Adviser, UCD Assistant Clinical Professor<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>SIRT is routinely used in the USA, UK and throughout Europe for the treatment of many liver tumours. In Ireland, however, there is no national funding agreement for SIRT, leaving patients with fewer treatment prospects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT)<\/a> is a targeted treatment for some liver tumours that delivers millions of tiny radioactive beads, called SIR-Spheres, directly to the site of the cancer.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Liver cancer treatment improves quality of life&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Cormac Farrelly, interventional radiologist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin, explains:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe treatment has been around for about 20 years. Patients may have tumours that start in the liver \u2014 known as primary liver cancer (Hepatocellular carcinoma) \u2014 or they may have tumours that have spread to the liver from a cancer in the bowel \u2014 which is known as secondary liver cancer or metastases. Patients with metastatic disease that may benefit from SIRT are not generally surgical candidates, so <a href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">it\u2019s about aiding quality of life<\/a>. Results depend on how far the cancer has spread when they get the treatment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-2810192937\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-2742603960\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Sirtex2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2-768x256.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cSIRT can also be used for hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be surgically removed, where the objective is to shrink the tumour and potentially make it surgically removable.\u201d Brenda Byrne, principal physicist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, says benefits include selective injection, so healthy liver is spared, and the ability to tailor the dosing to each patient\u2019s disease.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>SIRT can also be used for used for hepatocellular <br>carcinoma that cannot be surgically removed.<\/p><cite><meta charset=\"utf-8\">Brenda Byrne BA MSc<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Alternative to chemotherapy that directly targets tumours<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Dr Farrelly adds that patients who found chemotherapy difficult to manage or ineffective may also benefit massively. \u201cMany patients are weakened from extensive chemotherapy, but this treatment is generally administered only once or twice and does not leave the patients needing to isolate, as it is very accurate at only targeting cancerous tumours.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike traditional radiotherapy delivered from outside the body, SIRT allows delivery of the radiation <a href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directly to the tumour<\/a>, allowing for higher doses and less damage to surrounding healthy cells. This is achieved by using a catheter placed in the femoral artery to feed the radioactive beads directly into the liver blood supply.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-254627339\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-1923150820\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Sirtex2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210310\/Sirtex2-768x256.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-equity-of-provision-of-treatment\"><strong>Equity of provision of treatment&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite SIRT being routinely publicly funded in the UK, no funding arrangements are in place in Ireland. Consequently, the hospital providing the treatment is also the sole bearer of the cost of the treatment in the current environment. This is unsustainable in the long-term. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brenda, who ensures the radiation dose is tailored to each patient to maximise efficacy and safety, says: \u201cThere are other hospitals in Ireland that could actually do the treatment. Yet, we are the only ones in Ireland using SIR-Spheres at present. Other hospitals can\u2019t build the resources or expertise because they can\u2019t get funding.\u201d If Ireland invests in this treatment, more people with liver cancers could benefit. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-button ab-block-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sirtex.com\/eu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ab-button ab-button-shape-rounded ab-button-size-medium fb-pixel\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#88ba3c\">Click here to learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SIRT is routinely used in the USA, UK and throughout Europe for the treatment of many liver tumours. In Ireland, however, there is no national funding agreement for SIRT, leaving patients with fewer treatment prospects.&nbsp; Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is a targeted treatment for some liver tumours that delivers millions of tiny radioactive beads, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/oncology\/barriers-to-accessing-a-successful-targeted-liver-cancer-treatment-within-irish-healthcare-system\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":8979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2856],"tags":[5816],"class_list":["post-8974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oncology","tag-innovations-in-oncology-q2-2023"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210322\/GettyImages-185088696-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/06\/07210322\/GettyImages-185088696-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8974"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9098,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8974\/revisions\/9098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}