Progress on alpha emitters for cell-directed cancer treatment

Cancer patients relapse when conventional radiation or chemotherapy fails to destroy all viable cancer cells and remaining cells or metastatic lesions continue to increase in size and number. Alpha emitters provide an effective radiation for cancer cell killing because of their high linear energy transfer and ideal path length for treating micrometastases while sparing adjacent normal tissues. Alpha radiation is also effective under hypoxic: conditions and is not limited by low dose rate repair mechanisms. Alpha emitters can provide cellular-level radiation therapy when linked to cell-specific targeting agents such as monoclonal antibodies or peptides.