Radionuclide therapy

Radionuclide therapy
ICD-9-CM92.28

Radionuclide therapy (RNT, also known as unsealed source radiotherapy or molecular radiotherapy) uses radioactive substances called radiopharmaceuticals to treat medical conditions, particularly cancer. These are introduced into the body by various means (injection or ingestion are the two most commonplace) and localise to specific locations, organs or tissues depending on their properties and administration routes. This includes anything from a simple compound such as sodium iodide that locates to the thyroid via trapping the iodide ion, to complex biopharmaceuticals such as recombinant antibodies which are attached to radionuclides and seek out specific antigens on cell surfaces.[1][2]

This is a type of targeted therapy which uses the physical, chemical and biological properties of the radiopharmaceutical to target areas of the body for radiation treatment.[3] The related diagnostic modality of nuclear medicine employs the same principles but uses different types or quantities of radiopharmaceuticals in order to image or analyse functional systems within the patient.

RNT contrasts with sealed-source therapy (brachytherapy) where the radionuclide remains in a capsule or metal wire during treatment and needs to be physically placed precisely at the treatment position.[4]

When the radionuclides are ligands (such as with Lutathera and Pluvicto), the technique is also known as radioligand therapy. [5]

  1. ^ Buscombe, J.; Navalkissoor, S. (1 August 2012). "Molecular radiotherapy". Clinical Medicine. 12 (4): 381–386. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.12-4-381. PMC 4952132. PMID 22930888.
  2. ^ Volkert, Wynn A.; Hoffman, Timothy J. (1999). "Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals". Chemical Reviews. 99 (9): 2269–2292. doi:10.1021/cr9804386. PMID 11749482.
  3. ^ Nicol, Alice; Waddington, Wendy (2011). Dosimetry for radionuclide therapy. York: Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. ISBN 9781903613467.
  4. ^ Martin, Elizabeth A; McFerran, Tanya A, eds. (2014). A dictionary of nursing (6th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199666379.001.0001. ISBN 9780199666379.
  5. ^ Radioligand therapy, a ‘game-changer’ for cancer treatment, forces manufacturers to race against a ticking clock