Radiolabeled antibody therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Immunohistochemical staining for ferritin was performed on 11 human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas transplanted in nude mouse xenografts. Seven tumors were found to be positive. Using ferritin as a tumor antigen target, escalating doses of yttrium-90-labeled antiferritin antibodies were injected intravascularly into nude mice that were transplanted with a ferritin-positive human squamous cell carcinoma. Forty-five days after injection, the mean treated tumor size was 25.6% of control in the 100-microCi group, and 20.6% of control in the 200-microCi group. Ninety days after injection the mean tumor size was 27.5% that of control in the 100-microCi group and 31.7% in the 200-microCi group. Higher doses of radiation (300 and 400 microCi per mouse) caused death of most of the animals due to radiation toxicity. Presensitization of the animal, before antibody injection, with a bolus intraperitoneal injection of 7.5 mg of cisplatin per kilogram of body weight, resulted in further reduction in tumor size when compared with antibody alone or cisplatin alone. This study demonstrates that radioimmunotherapy with selected doses of yttrium-90-labeled antiferritin antibodies is effective against human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenografts in nude mice.