Back to sessions
Sep 30
Education

EDU 57 - The Biology of Radiopharmaceuticals (RPTs): Beyond the Physical Properties

08:00am - 09:00pm ET

MODERATOR(S)

Craig Grossman, MD, PhD, MS - University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

session DESCRIPTION

Targeted radionuclide therapy, also known as radiopharmaceuticals (RPTs), has recently gained significant interest as a modality to deliver a targeted therapeutic radiation dose to all sites of disease. Selection of the radionuclide, the linker and/or vector, and the target binding site is critical: each radionuclide exhibits distinct properties, the linker influences binding, retention, and distribution of the RPT in the tumor, and the target must be easily accessible, specific to the tumor cell, and highly expressed in ideally all tumor cells. With the increased availability and clinical trials using RPTs in the clinic, it is imperative to understand and predict the therapeutic efficacy and potential toxicities of RPT therapy, as well as its mechanisms of action and its pharmacologic effect when administered in combination with systemic drugs and/or external beam radiotherapy. There is limited data, however, on the different radiobiologic effects of alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclide types. Further, not only do RPTs have a direct tumoricidal effect, but their therapeutic efficacy also appears to be mediated by the tumor microenvironment and immune response. RPTs that target molecules involved in DNA damage repair, such as PARP1, has shown promise in enhancing DNA damage of tumor cells with the potential to enhance the efficacy of subsequent fractionated radiotherapy. This session will therefore explore the radiobiologic effects of RPTs via direct cell kill, modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and immunologic response, and when administered with systemic drugs and/or fractionated external beam radiotherapy.

learning objectives

  1. Describe the different radiobiologic effects of alpha- versus beta-emitting RPTs, and understand the utility and barriers of using each RPT.
  2. Define the different mechanisms that RPTs can target tumors - direct cell kill, modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME), and immunologic effects.
  3. Identify ways to enhance the efficacy of RPTs, including the delivery with fractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and with systemic therapies.

Credits

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits: 1.00

Rate This Session

Presentations