These treatment and diagnostic advancements aim to:
Find prostate cancer earlier with advanced imaging Deliver radiation directly to cancer Reduce side effects
Radiopharmaceuticals Radiopharmaceuticals have been used for decades to diagnose various diseases and treat certain cancers. Now, new radiopharmaceuticals are being used to deliver radiation therapy directly to cancer cells. Targeting the radiation directly to the cancer cells may reduce side effects. Researchers are also working to identify new agents that may help these therapies find – or target – even the smallest amount of cancer cells in the body. WHAT IS A RADIOLIGAND? A radioligand is composed of three parts: a targeting molecule ( ligand ) that binds to a specific tumor
Radioligand Therapy (RLT) Radioligands precisely deliver radiation to tumors, aiming to damage the DNA of cells within the tumor while working to preserve healthy tissue in other organs to minimize off-target effects & toxicity.
What are Theranostics? Theranostics is a combination of the words therapeutics and diagnostics . The concept begins with diagnostic imaging of to identify where tumors are located in their body, and then, using a similar process, deliver a targeted therapy directly to the tumors. Radioligand therapy is a type of theranostic therapy, and therefore the two terms are commonly used interchangeably.
HOW DO RADIOLIGANDS WORK?
The medical isotope emits high-energy particles that damage the DNA of the cells within the tumor, leading to cell death. The linker attaches the medical radioisotope to the ligand, enabling the medical radioisotope to be delivered to the tumor.
receptor with high affinity, a chemical linker that acts as an attachment arm, and the medical radioisotope that enables treatment of tumor cells.
LINKER
CANCER CELL
RECEPTOR
LIGAND RADIOISOTOPE
DID YOU KNOW? When prostate cancer spreads, it most often spreads to the bones. Denosumab (XGEVA ® ) and radium Ra 223 dichloride (XOFIGO ® ) are approved by the FDA for prostate cancer that has spread to the bones.
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To learn more, visit www.zerocancer.org/targeted-therapy .
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