Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Y-90 side effects: what is normal and what needs a doctor | CION Cancer Clinics
Most people feel tired, slightly sick and off their food for a week or two after Y-90, then recover gradually. Serious problems such as a stomach ulcer, lung inflammation or strain on the healthy liver are uncommon, and the planning scan is designed to prevent most of them. This page explains what is expected, when it happens, and which signs mean going to hospital the same day. At CION Cancer Clinics, a multidisciplinary tumour board weighs your liver function and your scans before recommending any treatment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- What side effects should I expect after Y-90?
- Which side effects are common, and how long do they last?
- When do the side effects of Y-90 show up?
- What are the rare but serious side effects of Y-90?
- What families worry about, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about Y-90 side effects
The short answer
What side effects should I expect after Y-90?
Most people feel tired, a little sick and off their food for a week or two after Y-90, and then slowly recover. Serious problems are uncommon, and most of them are prevented by the planning scan done before treatment.
Y-90, also called TARE or radioembolisation, places tiny radioactive beads into the blood vessels that feed a liver tumour. The radiation works from inside the liver, close to the tumour, which is why the body as a whole usually feels it less than it would feel chemotherapy. The beads stay where they are and the radiation fades on its own over the following weeks. If you are still deciding whether to have it, the page on how TARE and Y-90 work comes first.
Why it is often gentler than TACE
TACE blocks the tumour's blood supply firmly, and the pain, fever and nausea that follow can be strong. Y-90 beads are much smaller and block less, so that burst of symptoms is usually milder. Milder is not nothing. Tiredness can linger for longer than people expect.
Primary or secondary cancer
This page is mainly about primary liver cancer, the kind that starts in the liver. Y-90 is also used for cancer that has spread to the liver from the bowel or elsewhere. The side effects are much the same, but the plan around them is set by the team treating the original cancer.
CION coordinates Y-90 through NABH-accredited partner hospitals with interventional radiology and nuclear medicine teams. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.The usual ones
Which side effects are common, and how long do they last?
These are expected, they usually settle by themselves, and your team can help with each of them.
Tiredness
The most common complaint, and often the longest. Many people feel drained for a few weeks. It is worst in the first fortnight and lifts gradually.
What helps
- Short walks rather than complete bed rest
- Planning one task a day, not five
- Telling family that slowing down is normal
Nausea and poor appetite
A queasy stomach and not wanting to eat are common for the first several days. Anti-sickness tablets are usually given to take home. Small, frequent meals with enough protein are better than forcing large ones.
Mild pain and fever
An ache under the right ribs, and sometimes a low fever, can follow in the first few days. Both are usually mild. Ask your team which painkiller is safe for your liver before taking anything.
Strong pain, or a high fever with shivering, is not the usual pattern. See the box below.Changes in blood tests
Liver tests often move after Y-90. Bilirubin, the yellow pigment the liver clears, may rise a little, and the lymphocyte count often dips. Most changes are temporary. Your team checks them at each follow-up visit.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologist
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When to go to hospital today
Go to hospital the same day, and say you have had Y-90 to the liver, if you vomit blood, pass black or tarry stools, develop severe pain in the upper abdomen, have a high fever with shivering, become confused or unusually drowsy, or notice your eyes or skin turning yellow quickly. Do not wait for the next clinic visit. Rising breathlessness or a dry cough in the weeks after treatment also needs a doctor this week.
Over the weeks
When do the side effects of Y-90 show up?
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The day of treatment
You lie flat for some hours after the catheter is removed from the groin or wrist. Some people feel sick or have mild discomfort. Many go home the same day or the next morning.
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The first week
Tiredness, nausea, poor appetite and a mild ache are at their most noticeable. A low fever can come and go. Rest, eat little and often, and take the tablets you were given.
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The next few weeks
Most symptoms ease, though tiredness may hang on. A stomach ulcer from a stray bead, if it happens, usually shows up in this window as burning pain after food or black stools.
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One to three months on
This is when the rarer, slower problems appear, if they appear at all. Liver strain shows as yellowing, a swelling abdomen or new tiredness. Lung inflammation shows as a cough or breathlessness.
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The follow-up scan
The first scan to check the response is usually done a few months later. Your team reads it alongside your blood tests and how you feel.
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Less common
What are the rare but serious side effects of Y-90?
- Radioembolisation-induced liver disease (REILD)
- The healthy liver around the tumour is strained by the radiation. It is more likely in a liver already weakened by cirrhosis. Read the page on REILD for the signs.
- Stomach or duodenal ulcer
- A few beads can travel to the stomach or the first part of the bowel. The mapping scan before Y-90 exists largely to stop this.
- Radiation lung inflammation
- Happens when too many beads would pass through the liver into the lungs. The planning scan measures this, and is why lung shunting can rule Y-90 out.
- Gallbladder inflammation
- Beads that reach the gallbladder artery can inflame it, causing pain on the right side and fever.
- Bile duct injury
- Uncommon. Shows as jaundice or an infection near the treated area.
Commonly believed
What families worry about, and what is actually true
"It is radiation, so all my hair will fall out."
Y-90 radiation stays inside the liver. It does not reach the scalp, and hair loss is not an expected side effect of Y-90 on its own.
"Feeling exhausted means the treatment has gone wrong."
Tiredness is the most common side effect and is expected. What matters is the warning signs in the box above, not tiredness alone.
"He must eat less protein now, to rest the liver."
The opposite is usually true. A recovering liver needs enough protein and enough food. Cutting dal, eggs or curd without advice can weaken the person further. Ask the team before changing the diet.
"A herbal liver tonic will help the liver heal faster."
Liver tonics and detox mixtures can themselves injure a liver that is already under strain. Tell your oncologist about anything you are taking, without worrying about being judged.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how you personally will feel after Y-90. That depends on how well your liver works before treatment, how much of the liver is treated, and whether you have had other treatment such as TACE. Your treating team has that information. This page does not.
It cannot read your blood results
A small rise in bilirubin after Y-90 can be expected, or it can be an early sign of trouble. Only the team who knows your starting numbers can tell which. Bring every report to each visit so they can compare.
Who this does not apply to
If you have not yet been offered Y-90, this page is not where the decision starts. People with advanced cirrhosis, a high bilirubin, or a large share of beads expected to reach the lungs are often not suitable, and those questions are covered on who is suitable for Y-90. CION's tumour board reviews scans and blood tests and coordinates the procedure through a partner hospital when Y-90 is the right choice.
If something feels wrong after Y-90 and you are not sure it is serious, call the helpline. Someone will tell you whether it can wait.Questions we are asked
Common questions about Y-90 side effects
Is Y-90 painful afterwards?
Most people feel only a mild ache under the right ribs for a few days, and some feel nothing at all. It is usually much milder than the pain after TACE. Severe pain is not expected, so tell your team or go to hospital if it happens, especially with fever or vomiting.
How long does the tiredness last?
It is usually worst in the first fortnight and then lifts slowly over several weeks. Some people take longer, especially if their liver was already strained. Gentle walking, regular meals and good sleep help more than staying in bed all day. Tiredness that gets worse instead of better should be reported.
Will I lose my hair after Y-90?
Y-90 on its own does not usually cause hair loss, because the radiation stays within the liver. If you are also having chemotherapy or another drug at the same time, that treatment may have its own effect on hair. Ask your oncologist which medicine is likely to cause what.
Can Y-90 damage the healthy part of my liver?
It can, though serious damage is uncommon. The condition is called radioembolisation-induced liver disease, and it is more likely when the liver is already scarred by cirrhosis. It usually appears weeks after treatment, with yellowing, fluid in the abdomen or rising tiredness. Blood tests at follow-up help catch it early.
Why does the team worry about black stools?
A few beads can occasionally lodge in the stomach or bowel wall and cause an ulcer that bleeds. Black or tarry stools, or vomiting blood, can be a sign of bleeding. People with cirrhosis can also bleed from swollen veins called varices. Either way, go to hospital the same day.
Is it safe to be near my family after Y-90?
The radiation stays mostly inside the liver and fades over the following weeks. Your team will give you simple precautions for the first several days, often about close contact with children and pregnant women. The page on radiation safety at home covers this in detail.
Can I take my usual medicines after Y-90?
Most regular medicines continue, but check each one with the team, especially painkillers. Some common painkillers are hard on the stomach and kidneys, and some are unsafe in a strained liver. You may be given a stomach-protecting tablet for a few weeks. Do not start herbal products without telling your doctor.
Who do I call if I am not sure a symptom is serious?
Call the CION helpline and describe what you are feeling. Someone will tell you whether it can wait for your next visit or needs a doctor today. If you are vomiting blood, very confused or have a high fever with shivering, do not call first. Go straight to the nearest hospital.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR) — Radioembolization (Y90)
- American Cancer Society — Embolization Therapy for Liver Cancer
- EASL — EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma
- National Cancer Institute — Liver Cancer Treatment
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Recovery After Y-90How the weeks after treatment usually goRadioembolisation-Induced Liver DiseaseThe rare liver side effect, explained properlyRadiation Safety After Y-90: What to Do at HomeSimple precautions for the familyTARE and Y-90 Radioembolisation for Liver TumoursHow the procedure itself is done
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Worried about a symptom after Y-90?
Tell us what you are feeling and when your treatment was. We will help you work out whether it can wait or needs a doctor today. One helpline serves every CION centre.