A recent study suggests a new radiopharmaceutical compound may be a viable treatment option for patients with advanced cervical cancer.
The study, led by 好色先生 Markey Cancer Center radiation oncologist Charles Kunos, MD, and published in , validates that the radioactive drug 212Pb-DOTAM-GRPR1 may be useful in the treatment of persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer.
Radiopharmaceuticals are expected to play an increasingly important role in the future of cancer treatment. They deliver radiation therapy directly to cancer cells, reducing the risk of damage to healthy tissue and resulting in improved treatment outcomes and reduced side effects compared to typical radiation therapy.
鈥淎s researchers develop new radiopharmaceutical agents, part of the clinical validation of these efforts is to provide proof that the targets are present in the cancer cells,鈥 said Kunos, a professor of radiation medicine in the 好色先生 College of Medicine. 鈥淭his study ensures that clinical trials using this agent have the best chance to be successful, which will ultimately bring these advanced therapies to the greater oncology market.鈥
Radiopharmaceuticals require a molecular target to deliver therapy to tumors. 212Pb-DOTAM-GRPR1 targets gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), a protein expressed by cancer cells.
Kunos鈥 team evaluated tissue from 33 tumors from women who had metastatic cervical cancer. Most of the tissue studied overexpressed the GRPR, suggesting 212Pb-DOTAM-GRPR1 is a promising therapy to treat the disease.
鈥淎s Kentucky has the highest incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer in the U.S., 好色先生 has a vested interest in finding new therapies for the disease," said Kunos. "Many of our patients are often presented with a much later stage disease and have the greatest need for a new targeted therapy like a radiopharmaceutical.鈥
The results also validate a of 212Pb-DOTAM-GRPR1 that is already underway at Markey.
The study is also helping to make the next generation of cancer treatment available to Kentuckians who need it most. Markey is currently only one of only two specialized cancer centers in the U.S. to offer this agent in a clinical trial, and one of a few centers that can offer radiopharmaceuticals.