Riad Salem, MD, on FDA Approval of TheraSphere Y-90 Glass Microspheres for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Based on results of the LEGACY study, led by Lurie Cancer Center member Riad Salem, MD, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently approved TheraSphere Y-90 Glass Microspheres for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

"I am honored to have spearheaded the LEGACY trial in which we found that patients with early and advanced HCC exhibited very high response rates as well as clinically meaningful durations of response and survival, establishing TheraSphere as a standard treatment for this patient population," said Salem, the trial’s principal investigator, vice chair for Image Guided Therapy, and chief of Vascular Interventional Radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The approval expands access to this life-prolonging therapy for a greater number of patients, TheraSphere is now the only radioembolization technology indicated for the treatment of unresectable HCC in the U.S.

"The trial results, which have been accepted for publication in Hepatology, produced one of the most comprehensive databases for TheraSphere, empowering physicians to make informed, data-driven decisions for their patients," added Salem, who is also a professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.

View Dr. Salem’s discussion on OncLive