Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 3. P. 48–55
REVIEW
A.F. Tsyb1, E.V. Abakushina1,2, D.N. Abakushin2, Yu.S. Romanko1
Present and Future of Radioimmunotherapy
1. Medical Radiological Research Center, Obninsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; 2. Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering of the NRNU MEPhI, Obninsk, Russia
Abstract
Molecular nuclear medicine plays an important role in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer and infectious diseases. Radioimmunodetection and radioimmunotherapy (RIT) involve the use of antibodies conjugated with diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclides, respectively. More often for RIT the radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies against tumor-associated antigens are used. Encouraging results have been achieved with this technology in the management of hematologic malignancies. On the contrary, solid tumors appeared to be less sensitive. Solid tumors are generally characterized by a limited vascular supply and heterogeneous uptake of the antibodies in the tumors. Radioimmunotherapy therefore is considered more suitable for the treatment of microscopic or minimal residual disease, allowing radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to achieve uptake in tumors high enough to result in tumoricidal radiation doses. Despite these encouraging results, new treatment strategies are required for the cure of patients with cancer and no malignant diseases. More perspective new potential target for radioimmunodetection and RIT should be found. For this purpose, a series of experiments should be performed to investigate the biodistribution and the therapeutic efficacy of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies in cell culture and animal models.
CONTENTS
Introduction
The selection of the radionuclide and conjugate
Radio immunotherapy of lymph proliferative diseases
Radio immunotherapy of solid cancers
Radio immunotherapy of metastatic cancer
Novel targets for radio immunotherapy
Conclusion
Key words: radioimmunotherapy, malignant diseases, monoclonal antibodies, tumor-associated antigens, radionuclide