# Yttrium-90

Source: https://nuclide.cc/isotopes/y-90/  
Nuclide record `y-90` (Isotope). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from Nuclide (nuclide.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A radioactive metal that fires high-energy particles a short distance into surrounding tissue. Millions of microscopic beads carrying it are injected into the artery feeding a liver tumour, where they lodge and irradiate the tumour from inside.

## Summary

Yttrium-90 is a near-pure beta emitter (a small pair-production fraction allows PET imaging of its distribution) that decays to stable zirconium-90 with a physical half-life of 64.1 hours (2.67 days). Its beta particles have a mean energy near 0.93-0.94 MeV, a mean tissue range of about 2.5 mm and a maximum of roughly 11 mm, and 94% of the total dose is delivered within about 11 days.

It is the workhorse isotope of liver radioembolisation (TARE/SIRT): glass microspheres (TheraSphere) with 90Y built into the glass matrix, and resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres) with 90Y bound to the surface, are delivered via a hepatic-artery catheter and become permanently embedded in and around the tumour. It is also used, chelated to peptides and antibodies, for radioligand and radioimmunotherapy (e.g. ibritumomab tiuxetan).

90Y for microsphere manufacture is produced either by decay of its 28.8-year fission-product parent strontium-90 (chemically separated as it decays) or by direct reactor neutron activation of stable yttrium-89. Because the parent Sr-90/generator route and direct reactor activation are both well established at multiple sites, supply for the approved microsphere products is generally adequate.

## Fields

- Kind: Isotope
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-22
- Also known as: 90Y; Y-90
- Tags: therapy; beta emitter; radioembolisation

## Sources

- FDA PMA summary: TheraSphere Yttrium-90 Glass Microspheres: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf20/P200029C.pdf
- The development, commercialization, and clinical context of yttrium-90 (PMC, 2016): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5514171/
- Yttrium-90 Radioembolization Dosimetry: What Trainees Need to Know (PMC, 2020): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7732571/

## Connected records

- technologies: [AI in nuclear medicine](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/ai-in-nuclear-medicine/), [Albumin-binder ligands](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/albumin-binder-ligands/), [DOTA chelation](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/dota-chelation/), [Monte Carlo dosimetry](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/monte-carlo-dosimetry/), [Quantitative SPECT](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/quantitative-spect/), [Radio-antibody & radio-ADC](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/), [Radioembolisation (TARE / SIRT, yttrium-90)](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/radioembolisation-tare/), [SPECT dosimetry workflow for radionuclide therapy](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/spect-dosimetry-workflow/)
- terms: [Chelator (bifunctional chelating agent)](https://nuclide.cc/terms/chelator-term/), [Dosimetry](https://nuclide.cc/terms/dosimetry/), [Fixed versus personalised (dosimetry-guided) dosing](https://nuclide.cc/terms/fixed-versus-personalised-dosing/), [Myelosuppression after radioligand therapy](https://nuclide.cc/terms/myelosuppression-after-rlt/), [Radiopharmaceutical extravasation](https://nuclide.cc/terms/extravasation-radiopharmaceutical/), [Renal protection with amino acid co-infusion](https://nuclide.cc/terms/renal-protection-amino-acids/), [TARE / SIRT (radioembolisation with yttrium-90)](https://nuclide.cc/terms/tare/)
- indications: [Hepatocellular carcinoma](https://nuclide.cc/indications/hcc/), [Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (BCLC B)](https://nuclide.cc/indications/hcc-intermediate/)
- drugs: [Holmium-166 microspheres](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/ho-166-microspheres/), [Ibritumomab tiuxetan](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/ibritumomab-tiuxetan/), [Iodine-131 tositumomab](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/i-131-tositumomab/), [Technetium Tc-99m albumin aggregated (MAA)](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/tc-99m-maa/), [Yttrium-90 glass microspheres](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/y-90-glass-microspheres/), [Yttrium-90 resin microspheres](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/y-90-resin-microspheres/)
- companies: [Boston Scientific](https://nuclide.cc/companies/boston-scientific/), [BWXT Medical](https://nuclide.cc/companies/bwxt-medical/), [MIM Software (GE HealthCare)](https://nuclide.cc/companies/mim-software/), [Niowave](https://nuclide.cc/companies/niowave/), [Quirem Medical](https://nuclide.cc/companies/quirem-medical/), [Sirtex Medical](https://nuclide.cc/companies/sirtex/)
- institutions: [IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori 'Dino Amadori' (IRST)](https://nuclide.cc/institutions/irst-meldola/)
- trials: [A US Study to Evaluate Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE) in Combination With Durvalumab and Bevacizumab Therapy in People With Unresectable Hepat](https://nuclide.cc/trials/nct06040099/), [SARAH and SIRveNIB](https://nuclide.cc/trials/sarah-sirvenib/), [TheraSphere With Durvalumab and Tremelimumab for HCC](https://nuclide.cc/trials/nct05063565/)
- people: [Erik S. Mittra](https://nuclide.cc/people/erik-mittra/), [Richard P. Baum](https://nuclide.cc/people/richard-baum/)
- fronts: [Dosimetry](https://nuclide.cc/fronts/f-dosimetry/), [Isotope supply](https://nuclide.cc/fronts/f-isotope-supply/), [Radioembolisation](https://nuclide.cc/fronts/f-radioembolisation/)
- isotopes: [Holmium-166](https://nuclide.cc/isotopes/ho-166/)
- pairings: [Radioembolisation (TARE) compared with sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma](https://nuclide.cc/pairings/tare-vs-sorafenib-caution/), [Radioembolisation (TARE) with durvalumab in hepatocellular carcinoma](https://nuclide.cc/pairings/tare-plus-durvalumab-hcc/), [Rituximab pretreatment before ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin)](https://nuclide.cc/pairings/rituximab-then-ibritumomab-tiuxetan/)
- key papers: [Results and adverse events of personalised peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in 1048 patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms](https://nuclide.cc/key-papers/paper-baum-prrt-1048-patients-oncotarget-2018/)
- targets: [CCK2 receptor (gastrin receptor)](https://nuclide.cc/targets/cck2-receptor/)

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