Breaking the Silence of Tumor Response: Future Prospects of Targeted Radionuclide Therapy

Abstract

: Radionuclide therapy using alpha or beta-emitting radionuclide as payload became state-of-the-art for cancer therapy. With the improvement in dosimetric studies, development of high-affinity target molecules, and design of several novel chelating agents which provide thermodynamically stable complexes in vivo, the scope of radionuclide therapy has increased by leaps and bounds. Additionally, radionuclide therapy along with the combination of chemotherapy is gaining importance in pre-clinics, which is quite encouraging. Thus, it opens an avenue for newer cancer therapy modalities where chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy are unable to break the silence of tumor response. This article describes, in brief, the causes of tumor resistance and discusses the potential of radionuclide therapy to enhance tumor response.