Targeted radionuclide therapy in combined-modality regimens

Journal article

Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) is a branch of cancer medicine concerned with the use of radioisotopes, radiolabelled molecules, nanoparticles or microparticles that either naturally accumulate in or are designed to home to tumours. They combine the specificity of molecular and, sometimes, physical targeting with the potent cytotoxicity of ionising radiation. Targeting vectors for TRT include antibodies, antibody fragments, proteins, peptides, and small molecules. The diversity of available carrier molecules together with the large panel of suitable radioisotopes with unique physicochemical properties allows vector-radionuclide pairings to be matched to the molecular, pathological and physical characteristics of a tumour. Some agents are designed for dual therapeutic and diagnostic (“theranostic”) applications. TRT use has increased with the introduction of agents that are indicated for common oncological conditions, including 90Y-microspheres for the treatment of hepatic tumours and 223RaCl2 for bone metastases. This raises the question of how best to integrate TRT into multi-modality protocols. Achievements in this area and future prospects are reviewed here.

Authors: Gill, M; Falzone, N; Du, Y; Vallis, K

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Lancet Oncology
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 7
• Pages: e414-e423
• Publication date: 2017-07-01
• Acceptance date: 2017-04-10
• DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30379-0
• EISSN: 1474-5488
• ISSN: 1470-2045