Targeted Alpha Therapy: Progress in Radionuclide Production, Radiochemistry, and Applications

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiotherapy
• Oncology

Background:

• Targeted alpha (α) particle therapy (TAT) leverages the unique properties of alpha particles for cancer treatment.
• Alpha particles offer a high linear energy transfer (LET) over a short range, potentially minimizing off-target damage compared to conventional radiotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current accomplishments and future potential of targeted alpha particle therapy.
• To discuss the advantages, physical properties, and clinical applications of TAT.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing research on targeted alpha particle therapy.
• Discussion of alpha-emitters, their decay properties, radiochemistry, and production.
• Analysis of preclinical data and clinical trial results.

Main Results:

• TAT demonstrates potential for superior efficacy and complementary use with existing radiotherapy modalities.
• Key alpha-emitters (e.g., ²²⁵Ac, ²¹³Bi, ²²³Ra) possess favorable physical decay properties for therapeutic applications.
• Preclinical and clinical studies show promising outcomes for TAT in various cancers.

Conclusions:

• Targeted alpha particle therapy represents a promising advancement in cancer treatment.
• Further research and clinical trials are essential to fully realize the potential of TAT.