| Radioimmunotherapy | |
|---|---|
 Schematic of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) | |
| Other names | RIT |
| ICD-9-CM | 92.28 |
| MeSH | D016499 |
Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) uses an antibody labeled with a radionuclide to deliver cytotoxic radiation to a target cell.[1] It is a form of unsealed source radiotherapy. In cancer therapy, an antibody with specificity for a tumor-associated antigen is used to deliver a lethal dose of radiation to the tumor cells. The ability for the antibody to specifically bind to a tumor-associated antigen increases the dose delivered to the tumor cells while decreasing the dose to normal tissues. By its nature, RIT requires a tumor cell to express an antigen that is unique to the neoplasm or is not accessible in normal cells.
- ^ Milenic, Diane E.; Brady, Erik D.; Brechbiel, Martin W. (June 2004). "Antibody-targeted radiation cancer therapy". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 3 (6): 488–499. doi:10.1038/nrd1413. PMID 15173838. S2CID 22166498.