Advancements in cancer therapy with alpha-emitters: a review.
OBJECTIVE
This synopsis attempts to shed light on the progresses made in the field of cancer therapy using alpha-particles.
The rationale of selection of radionuclides focusing on comparison of alpha- and beta-emitters, the hurdles and their solutions, and recent developments are addressed. The efforts made in the field of alpha-radioimmunotherapy of hematologic malignancies are emphasized. A good deal of progress has been achieved in the past decade, and preclinical studies with a variety of radioimmunoconjugates with astatine and bismuth radioisotopes (At-211, Bi-212, and Bi-213) have generated encouraging results, providing an impetus for future clinical trials.


CONCLUSIONS
The onset of early clinical trials with alpha-emitters will hopefully enable the cancer researchers to come up with extremely effective and highly specific "smart bombs" to target cancer cells.
Imam
S K
SK
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Sydney, Australia. seyed.imam@swsahs.nsw.gov.au
D000186:Actinium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000512:Alpha Particles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001246:Astatine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001610:Beta Particles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001729:Bismuth / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016923:Cell Death; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005286:Fermium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018796:Immunoconjugates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011883:Radium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D013725:Terbium / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018796:Immunoconjugates; D011868:Radioisotopes; D013725:Terbium; D000186:Actinium; D005286:Fermium; D001729:Bismuth; D011883:Radium; D001246:Astatine