Radiation dose reduction in liver cancer

A new digital angiography flat panel system reduces the radiation dose to patients undergoing interventional treatment for liver cancer by about one-fourth, a new study shows.

The study compared the radiation dose to patient’s skin during transcatheter arterial embolization, a procedure that blocks the flow of a blood to a tumor. Doses were assessed for 12 patients using a new angiography unit with a digital flat-panel system and 12 using a conventional unit for angiographic imaging.

The maximal skin dose to the patients ranged from 510-1,882 mGy using the conventional unit, said Shigeru Suzuki, MD of Teikyo University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Suzuki is the lead author of the study. That compares to 130-467 mGy for the flat panel system, he said.

“In Japan, about one-third of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are treated by transcatheter arterial embolization,” said Dr. Suzuki. “It should be kept in mind that serious radiation skin injuries may be caused by interventional procedures,” said Dr. Suzuki. “It is important for physicians to do everything they can to use the lowest dose of radiation,” he said.