Recent advances in radionuclide therapy

A variety of radionuclides continue to be investigated and/or clinically us ed for different therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine. The choice o f a particular radionuclide with regard to appropriate emissions, linear en ergy transfer, and physical half-life is dictated to a large extent by the character of the disease (eg, solid tumor or metastatic disease) and by the carrier used to selectively transport the radionuclide to the desired site . An impressive body of information has appeared in the recent literature t hat addresses many of these considerations. This article summarizes and dis cusses the many recent advances and the progress in the clinical applicatio ns of therapeutic radionuclides in relatively new and developing areas, suc h as radioimmunotherapy, peptide therapy, intravascular therapy to prevent restenosis, radiation synovectomy, and bone malignancy therapy. Projections are made as to the future directions and progress in these areas. The cruc ial issue of a reliable, year-round supply of new and emerging therapeutic radionuclides in quantities sufficient initially for research, and then for routine clinical use, is a very worthy goal which, in the United States, r emains to be achieved. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.