Radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a new therapeutical approach where radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against tumor-associated antigens are administered to treat tumor lesions. Ovarian cancer is one of the most promising fields for RIT. This paper gives an overview of some biodistribution studies in animal models and in patients with radiolabeled anti-ovarian cancer MAbs, and defines the main criteria which should be considered to plan a clinical trial of RIT in ovarian cancer. As regards the clinical results, the published outcome of various trials and the experience of the National Cancer Institute of Milan are summarized. Even if the number of patients involved in these clinical studies of RIT is too small to provide conclusive indications about its role in the management of ovarian cancer, the preliminary results from qualified groups show its potential in this disease despite the current problems that limit clinical application (above all, the instability of the radiolabeled linkage, the immunogenicity of murine antibodies, the poor absolute tumor radiolabel uptake and the bone marrow toxicity).