Radioactive glass microspheres

A radioactive microsphere adapted for radiation therapy of a mammal comprising a glass having phosphorous-32 or yttrium-90 distributed substantially through the glass, the microsphere having a chemical durability such that subsequent to administration of the microsphere to the mammal, the microsphere will not release a significant amount of the radiation emitting radioisotope into the mammal's system.

A method of radiation therapy of a mammal comprising administering to said mammal microspheres comprising a glass material containing a beta or gamma radiation emitting isotope distributed substantially uniformly throughout the glass, the microsphere having a chemical durability such that subsequent to administration of the microspheres to the mammal, the microspheres will not release a significant amount of the radiation emitting radioisotope into the mammal's system.

A method of radiation therapy of a mammal comprising embedding in the capillary bed of the mammal's liver microspheres comprising a glass material containing a beta or gamma radiation emitting isotope distributed substantially uniformly throughout the glass, the microspheres having sufficient chemical durability so as to avoid the release of a significant amount of radiation emitting isotope into the mammal's system.

A radioactive glass microsphere adapted for radiation therapy of a mammal, the glass microsphere comprising an yttrium oxide-aluminosilicate glass containing yttrium-90 and having a composition lying substantially within a quadrilateral region of the ternary composition diagram of the yttria-alumina-silica system, the quadrilateral region being defined by its four corners having the following combination of weight proportions of the components:

• 20% silica, 10% alumina, 70% yttria;
• 70% silica, 10% alumina, 20% yttria;
• 70% silica, 20% alumina, 10% yttria, and 20% silica, 45% alumina, 35% yttria.

A radioactive glass microsphere adapted for radiation therapy of a mammal having phosphorous-32 distributed substantially throughout the glass, the glass additionally containing between about 50 and 70 wt. % silica, between about 1 and about 17 wt. % alumina, between about 5 and about 9 wt. % magnesia, and between about 2 and about 10 wt. % phosphorous pentoxide.

A radioactive glass microsphere adapted for radiation therapy of a mammal comprising, phosphorous-32 or yttrium-90 distributed substantially throughout the glass and a balance of elements selected from the group of elements consisting of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, vanadium, manganese, gallium, niobium, iodine, lead, titanium, copper, germanium, and zirconium, the microsphere having a size between about 5 and about 75 micrometers and having a chemical durability such that subsequent to administration of the microsphere to the mammal, the microsphere will not release a significant amount of the radiation emitting radioisotope into the mammal's system.

A biologically compatible radioactive glass microsphere for radiation therapy of a mammal comprising at least one beta or gamma radiation emitting isotope having a half-like greater than about 2 and less than about 30 days distributed substantially throughout the glass which emits a therapeutic intensity and amount of beta or gamma radiation, and a balance of elements selected from the group consisting of elements that do not become radioactive upon neutron irradiation and elements that have a half-like that is sufficiently short so that the elements do not emit a significant amount of beta or gamma radiation at the time of administration, the microsphere having a chemical durability such that subsequent to administration of the microsphere to the mammal, the microsphere will not release a significant amount of the radiation emitting radioisotope into the mammal's system.