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Radiopharmaceuticals for Relapsed or Refractory Leukemias
Charles A Kunos1, Jacek Capala2, Susan Percy Ivy1
1Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States.
Frontiers in Oncology
|March 13, 2019
Summary
Radiopharmaceuticals show promise for treating relapsed or refractory leukemia in adults. The National Cancer Institute is enhancing its infrastructure to explore these targeted cancer therapies in clinical trials.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Nuclear Medicine
Background:
- Relapsed or refractory leukemia affects many adult patients who do not achieve remission after initial treatment.
- Existing treatments often fail due to residual microscopic disease in bone marrow or blood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the National Cancer Institute's perspective on radiopharmaceutical use in adult leukemia.
- To explore challenges and future potential of radiopharmaceuticals for relapsed or refractory leukemia.
Main Methods:
- Review of National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials in adult leukemia (1986-2017).
- Analysis of the NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program data.
- Discussion of radiopharmaceutical development strategies.
Main Results:
- No prior NCI trials between 1986-2017 utilized radiopharmaceuticals for adult leukemia.
- Significant interest in radiopharmaceuticals for this patient population is emerging.
Conclusions:
- Radiopharmaceuticals represent a promising therapeutic avenue for adult patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia.
- The NCI is actively developing infrastructure to support radiopharmaceutical clinical trials.
