Novel radioactive medicine may be an inconvenient read for many people, but if you or someone you care about has metastatic breast cancer the words will soon become part of your vocabulary.
The News
According to Medical Xpress, the Mayo Clinic has just released a statement announcing the launching of an international program. The announcement includes news that the first person in the United States is being treated with a radioactive medicine developed for advanced breast cancer.
The treatment is called Alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals (AER). It is a form of cancer treatment utilizing alpha particles (radiation) that destroy cancer cells. The therapy shows promise in the treatment of cancers that are:
- Resistant to specific forms of therapy
- Utilizing alpha particles
- Resistant to other forms of therapy
AER’s distinctive properties enable it to deliver a powerful dose of radiation within a short range, thereby minimizing damage to healthy tissue. The treatment is part of a program to be conducted at clinical sites here and abroad and will eventually include other types of cancers. The medicine being used in this trial is composed of actinium-225 (Act-225) which is a form of cancer treatment utilizing a type of radiation that passes through the blood and adheres to cancer cells. It is extremely powerful.
Mayo Clinic: First to Apply
The first person treated in the U.S. is a patient with breast cancer that has metastasized. The phase 1b/2 trial is being conducted at the three Mayo Clinic locations: Minnesota, Rochester, Phoenix and over twenty other sites in the U.S. The Rochester clinic is a world leader in treating neuroendocrine and prostate cancers.
The patient received her initial treatment at Mayo’s, Florida location. The principal investigator is Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, a radiology professor at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Johnson explained that the new treatments are designed to kill cancer cells using high precision.
Beta Emitting Radiopharmaceuticals
Lutetium PSMA and Lutetium dotatate are beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals using subatomic particles radiating at low levels, whereas alpha particles are 8,000 times larger than beta particles. The researchers found that ACT-225 DOTATATE may be used to treat cancer cells that test positive for estrogen receptors (ER+). It is also known as triple-positive breast cancer, a form of breast cancer where the cells are stimulated by progesterone, estrogen and the HER2 protein.
A Bristol Myers company, RayzeBio, is the developer of the drug. Bristol Myers is the sponsor of the phase 1b/2 clinical trial.
