Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
TARE and Y-90 radioembolisation: what it is and who it is for | CION Cancer Clinics
TARE gives radiation from inside the liver. Tiny beads carrying yttrium-90 are passed through an artery into the tumour, where they lodge and treat it at close range. This page explains who it is usually considered for, what happens over the two visits, how it differs from TACE, who it does not suit, and what to ask before agreeing to it. 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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The short answer
What is TARE, or Y-90 radioembolisation?
TARE is a way of giving radiation from inside the liver. Millions of tiny beads carrying a radioactive substance called yttrium-90 (Y-90) are passed through a thin tube into the artery feeding the tumour, where they lodge and give off radiation at very close range.
The letters stand for transarterial radioembolisation. It is mainly used for primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), that is still confined to the liver but cannot be removed or ablated. It is also sometimes used when cancer has spread to the liver from the bowel or elsewhere; in that case the team treating the original cancer leads the decision, and bowel cancer that has spread to the liver is covered in our colon cancer section.
Why the artery matters
A healthy liver gets most of its blood from the portal vein. Liver tumours draw most of theirs from the hepatic artery. Sending the beads down the artery means they gather in the tumour far more than in the healthy liver around it. The technique itself is described on our Y-90 radioembolisation page.
This page covers the decision: who TARE is for, how it differs from TACE and what to ask. CION coordinates TARE through accredited partner hospitals.Who it is considered for
When do doctors suggest TARE?
TARE is one of several options. It tends to come up in a handful of particular situations, always after the tumour board has weighed the tumour, the liver and the person.
A large tumour or several in one part of the liver
When surgery and ablation are not possible, TARE can treat a large area in one sitting. It is an alternative to TACE for intermediate disease.
Tumour growing into a branch of the portal vein
TACE blocks blood flow and can be risky here. The beads in TARE are tiny and block much less, so some teams use it when the vein is involved and the liver is otherwise working well.
Holding the cancer before a transplant or operation
TARE can keep a tumour in check while someone waits for a transplant, or shrink one side of the liver while the other side grows, so that surgery may later become possible.
Sometimes called
- Bridging, while waiting
- Downstaging, to bring a tumour within limits
- Radiation lobectomy
When TACE has stopped helping
If the cancer is still limited to the liver, TARE is sometimes tried after TACE. For most people, systemic treatment is the usual next step instead.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistTwo visits, not one
What actually happens during TARE?
The tumour board review
Your scans, blood tests and liver function are reviewed together. If TARE is a fair option, CION arranges the next steps with an interventional radiology team at a partner hospital.
The mapping visit
A first angiogram maps the arteries. Small vessels that might carry beads to the stomach or bowel are sometimes blocked. A harmless tracer is injected and scanned to check how much would reach the lungs. Our page on the mapping scan explains this.
The treatment visit
Usually a short time later, the tube is placed again through an artery in the groin or wrist and the beads are released. You are awake but sedated, and most people go home the same day or the next.
The first weeks at home
Tiredness and a poor appetite are common for a while. Pain and fever are usually milder than after TACE. You will be given simple radiation safety advice for the first few days.
The follow-up scan
TARE works slowly. The first scan to judge it comes later than after TACE, and early pictures can look unchanged even when it is working.
On your report
The words you will hear about Y-90, in plain language
- Microspheres
- The tiny beads that carry the radiation. They come in glass and resin forms, and the team chooses one to suit the tumour.
- Mapping angiogram
- The first visit. It plans the route and checks it is safe before any radiation is given.
- Lung shunting
- Some blood passing from the liver straight into the lungs. Too much can rule TARE out, because beads would reach the lungs. See lung shunting.
- Dosimetry
- The calculation of how much radiation to give, worked out for your liver and tumour.
- REILD
- Radioembolisation-induced liver disease: liver damage from the radiation. It is uncommon but serious, and is the main reason liver function is checked so carefully beforehand.
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Did you know
The beads in TARE are far smaller than those used in TACE, small enough to pass deep into the tumour's own vessels. They block very little blood flow, which is why TARE behaves so differently from TACE afterwards.
Who this does not suit
Who is TARE not suitable for?
TARE is not the right choice for everyone whose cancer is confined to the liver. A small tumour that can be removed or ablated is usually better treated that way, because those options aim for curative treatment. TARE is mostly used to control disease, sometimes to make a later operation or transplant possible.
When the liver or the plumbing rules it out
It is usually avoided when the liver is badly damaged, with raised bilirubin or fluid in the abdomen, because the radiation can tip a weak liver into failure. Too much lung shunting on the mapping scan, or vessels that cannot be protected from the beads, also rule it out.
When the cancer has spread beyond the liver
Once cancer is in the lungs, bones or distant lymph nodes, treating only the liver rarely helps on its own, and systemic treatment becomes the main tool. CION gives immunotherapy and targeted therapy at its centres. If you are weighing TARE against TACE, our page on how radioembolisation differs from TACE sets them side by side.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether TARE is right for you. That depends on the size and position of each tumour, how your arteries are arranged, what the mapping scan shows and how well your liver is working. Only a team that has seen your scans and blood tests can weigh those together.
It cannot tell you what it will cost you
TARE is one of the more expensive liver treatments, mostly because the microspheres are imported and two hospital visits are needed. The price varies by hospital, by the type of bead and by the plan, and is quoted separately. Ask for a written, itemised estimate, and ask whether your insurance or scheme covers it. Our page on Y-90 cost in India explains what makes up the bill.
It cannot promise availability close to home
Only a limited number of hospitals in India offer TARE, and families from districts may need to travel. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.
Evidence comparing TARE directly with TACE is still growing. A good team will tell you plainly where it is thin.Questions we are asked
Common questions about TARE and Y-90
Is TARE the same as external radiation therapy?
No. External radiation, such as SBRT, aims beams at the liver from outside the body. TARE places the radiation source inside the tumour's blood vessels through an artery. Both use radiation, but they suit different tumours and are planned by different specialists.
Is TARE better than TACE?
Neither is better for everyone. TARE is often gentler afterwards and may suit tumours involving a portal vein branch. TACE is more widely available and less expensive. The choice depends on the tumour, the liver and what is practical, and the tumour board weighs all three.
Will I be radioactive after Y-90?
Only slightly, and only for a short time. The radiation travels a very short distance inside the body and fades quickly. You may be asked to limit close contact with pregnant women and small children for the first few days. Your team will give you written advice.
Does TARE hurt?
Most people feel little during the procedure, as it is done under sedation and local anaesthetic. Afterwards, tiredness is the most common complaint. Pain, nausea and fever tend to be milder than after TACE, though they can happen.
How many times can TARE be done?
Often it is given once to one part of the liver. It can sometimes be repeated or given to the other side later, but radiation to the liver adds up, so repeats are planned carefully. The team will explain what is possible in your case.
Can TARE be combined with immunotherapy?
Combinations are being studied in trials. The evidence is still developing, so it is not standard practice. If your team suggests a combination, ask what evidence supports it in your situation and whether it is part of a trial.
Is Y-90 available in Hyderabad?
TARE is offered at a limited number of hospitals in India, and the microspheres are imported, which can affect timing. CION coordinates it through accredited partner hospitals where it is suitable. Your team will tell you where the procedure takes place.
How do I find out if TARE suits me?
Call the CION helpline and ask for a tumour board review. Bring your recent triple-phase CT or MRI, blood tests including bilirubin and albumin, and any earlier treatment reports. The team will explain whether TARE is worth considering, and what else is on the table.
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
- American Cancer Society — Radiation Therapy for Liver Cancer
- 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.
Talk to us
Wondering whether Y-90 is an option for you?
Send us your recent scans and blood tests, and the tumour board will tell you honestly whether TARE is worth considering and what the alternatives are. One helpline serves every CION centre.