Recent advances in radionuclide therapy

A variety of radionuclides continue to be investigated and/or clinically used for different therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine. The choice of a particular radionuclide with regard to appropriate emissions, linear energy transfer, and physical half-life is dictated to a large extent by the character of the disease (eg, solid tumor or metastatic disease) and by the carrier used to selectively transport the radionuclide to the desired site. An impressive body of information has appeared in the recent literature that addresses many of these considerations. This article summarizes and discusses the many recent advances and the progress in the clinical applications of therapeutic radionuclides in relatively new and developing areas, such as radioimmunotherapy, peptide therapy, intravascular therapy to prevent restenosis, radiation synovectomy, and bone malignancy therapy. Projections are made as to the future directions and progress in these areas. The crucial issue of a reliable, year-round supply of new and emerging therapeutic radionuclides in quantities sufficient initially for research, and then for routine clinical use, is a very worthy goal which, in the United States, remains to be achieved.