World Journal of Nuclear Medicine最新文献

Theranostics is a rapidly growing field, providing new therapeutic options for cancer patients. Clinical trials have a key role in establishing the efficacy and safety of new treatments and determining impact on patient care. Multicenter clinical trials with radiopharmaceuticals provide robust data to support clinical implementation; however, there are important considerations to ensure high-quality and reliable clinical data. Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network (ARTnet) is a multidisciplinary clinical trials network established in 2014 to facilitate multicenter clinical trials with radiopharmaceuticals in Australia. Over the last decade, ARTnet has supported impactful, prospective clinical trials through quality activities and engagement. In theranostics, Australia has had a key role in clinical translation and generating evidence for safety and efficacy, resulting in regulatory approval and health care funding internationally. This report describes the development of ARTnet as a clinical trials network, highlighting the intent, current status, and operations of ARTnet, with a particular focus on theranostics.

There is a global rise in the number of new cancer diagnoses and cancer deaths. Rising new cancer diagnoses and deaths from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are the biggest contributors to this global trend. Efforts geared toward prevention, timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and efficient cancer survivorship programs are needed to address the rising scourge of cancer in LMICs. Radiotheranostics entails using radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and therapy of diseases. Functional imaging, as in radiotheranostics, is more sensitive for disease detection and treatment response assessment than conventional cross-sectional imaging. Therefore, radiotheranostics has the potential to address some of the strategies to curtail the rising scourge of cancer and its mortality in LMICs, including timely diagnosis, effective management, and disease surveillance. Many key issues hinder the widespread availability, access, and utilization of nuclear medicine (NM) and radiotheranostics services in LMICs. These issues include scarcity of trained (NM) professionals, lack of training for (NM) personnel, poor infrastructure, inadequate awareness of NM and radiotheranostics, poor funding, and poorly conceived regulations that stifle NM practice. Despite these hindrances, many success stories have emerged from LMICs regarding clinical application of radiotheranostics. For example, many practice-defining studies have been published by groups from LMICs regarding prostate-specific membrane antigen-targeted imaging and therapy of prostate cancer. Specifically, notable contributions have been made to the literature by groups from South Africa, India, and Türkiye on the safety and efficacy of 225Ac-PSMA-617 for therapy of advanced prostate cancer. Through the intervention of many international organizations, governments, and private sectors, there has been a steady improvement in the awareness, availability, access, and utilization of NM and radiotheranostics services in LMICs.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Tumor heterogeneity is a hallmark of neuroblastoma and prognosis can be dismal in the presence of high-risk factors such as N-myc gene amplification, aneuploidy, genetic rearrangement, and age at presentation. I-131 MIBG therapy has traditionally been the radionuclide therapy agent used in pediatric neuroblastoma and is incorporated in many treatment protocols. The high cost and limited availability of I-131 MIBG and the required radiation safety measures are barriers to its widespread use. LuTATE has emerged as a more practical radionuclide therapy agent requiring less stringent radiation safety measures and coupled with GaTATE PET/CT forms a potentially useful theranostic pairing for children with neuroblastoma. LuTATE therapy in adults with neuroendocrine tumors uses an empiric dosing schedule with good results. However, a previous study using empiric dosing of LuTATE in pediatric neuroblastoma was not shown to be effective. We present our use of individualized patient dosimetry to optimize the dose of LuTATE in three children with relapsed/resistant neuroblastoma.

Theranostics and clinical trials are driving the future of nuclear medicine and require a multidisciplinary approach to achieve the best possible care for the patient. Theranostics refers to using chemical compounds with similar diagnostic and radiotherapeutic applications. Therefore, the biodistribution remains the same for the imaging and therapy portions, a low radiation dose being delivered during imaging, and a higher radiation dose being delivered to the target disease areas during the treatment phase. The new era of theranostics has revolutionized nuclear medicine through the prospective phase 3 clinical trials, which have resulted in its adoption into the treatment paradigms of patients, particularly those with neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. Molecular imaging can be used to assess the role and utility of new tracers and molecular endpoints to help improve the understanding of tumor biology and evaluation of treatment response, leading to intelligent clinical trial design and more rapid drug development. Clinical trials networks such as EANM Research Ltd. (EARL), SNMMI Clinical Trials Network (CTN), and Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network (ARTnet), encourage a standardized approach and promote a collaborative approach to clinical trials in molecular imaging. Clinical Trials in Theranostics require the skills and expertise of a multidisciplinary team including the principal investigator, nuclear medicine specialists, study coordinators, medical physicists, radiopharmaceutical scientists, nuclear medicine technologists, research nurses, and research assistants. All personnel involved in theranostics clinical trials should be certified in Good Clinical Practice (GCP). Accurate documentation and record keeping in clinical trials provides validation that clinical trials is conducted at the highest ethical and clinical standards, meets the expectation of the study protocol, and adheres to GCP. Radiation safety is a critical factor for staff, patients, and the public in theranostics and clinical trials and must follow country-specific guidelines and international guidelines to ensure basic safety standards are met. As theranostics and clinical trials continue to stamp their mark in molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy, it is imperative that nuclear medicine professionals remain upskilled and adequately trained in these two aspects of the profession to ensure optimal care is delivered to the patient.

The Northern Territory (NT) of Australia is a large, low-density territory with the highest percentage of First Nations people in Australia, many of whom live remotely and encounter difficulties and barriers to accessing services. This determines significant gap in healthcare delivery inclusive of Nuclear Medicine and theranostic therapy services. In particular, no theranostic service for cancer patients is currently available in the NT. A narrative retrospective analysis of the provision of nuclear medicine services within the NT at the Royal Darwin Hospital was undertaken to determine the suitability and relevance of the establishment of a new theranostic service within the NT, catered to the specific needs of the local population and in particular of the large proportion of First Nations Patients that are likely to benefit from the local service. Building on the preexisting structure of Nuclear Medicine and PET, inclusive of a comprehensive facility with local production of radiopharmaceuticals, it is expected that the implementation of a theranostic service within the NT will have a high intake and a flow-down positive effect on cancer care within the NT. The implementation of cultural safety principles within the department is embedded in our model of service provision and will further be implemented in the theranostic service delivery. A theranostic service within the NT will prove beneficial to the NT population and sustainable financially. Principles of Cultural safety are paramount to service provision in the NT, and will hopefully contribute to enhancing the experience and improving the outcomes for First Nations patients.

The use of radionuclides for targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) is a rapidly evolving field in nuclear medicine and oncology. With the integration of imaging and therapy, therapeutic nuclear medicine has made remarkable progress in recent years. One particularly promising area of research is the use of α-emitting radionuclides, which possess unique physical properties that provide notable advantages, including the ability to target single tumor cells with high precision. Although the only targeted α therapy (TAT) currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration is ²²³ Ra-dichloride for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer with skeletal metastases, a search on clinicaltrials.gov yields a significant number of early- and late-stage clinical trials utilizing 223-Ra, 225-Ac, 211-At, 212-Pb, and 227-Th are in progress, indicating that more TATs are on the horizon. As the prevalence of use for TAT increases, it is important to consider the logistics of TAT administration and the requirements for radiation safety and patient discharge. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the advancements, relevant clinical trials, and logistical considerations associated with targeted α RPT in oncology.

Pediatric bronchial carcinoid tumors are rare, accounting for a significant proportion of primary lung tumors in children but only a small fraction in adults. These tumors can present with symptoms such as cushing's syndrome due to ACTH secretion. Complete surgical resection typically results in favorable outcomes, with most tumors expressing somatostatin receptors, making them amenable to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with (177Lu)Lu-DOTA-TATE (LuTATE). This case report describes a 13-year-old female with a bronchial carcinoid tumor treated with multi-cycle high-dose LuTATE therapy in the neoadjuvant setting. Initial imaging and biopsy confirmed a grade G1 pulmonary carcinoid with intense somatostatin receptor expression. The patient underwent two cycles of LuTATE, with dosimetry calculations guiding dose escalation while maintaining safe kidney radiation exposure. Posttherapy scans showed a significant metabolic response of suspected nodal metastases and evidence of partial response of the primary tumor. Two further LuTATE cycles were administered, with continued monitoring of kidney dosimetry to ensure safety. The treatment was well-tolerated, and the patient showed no significant complications. The case highlights the potential of LuTATE therapy to downstage tumors and reduce surgical morbidity in pediatric patients. Given the rarity of pediatric bronchial carcinoid tumors, phase III clinical trials are unlikely, but this report supports the inclusion of LuTATE in multidisciplinary treatment planning. In conclusion, LuTATE therapy, guided by dosimetry calculations, offers a valid treatment option for pediatric bronchial carcinoid tumors, balancing efficacy, and safety in a challenging clinical scenario.

Radioembolizaton of hepatic malignancy is an accepted palliative treatment option in many subjects. The process of working up an individual for a radioembolization procedure permits pretreatment radiation dosimetry to be estimated, which is not possible with many other theranostic pairs of radionuclides. These estimates can then be used to prescribe the desired amount of radionuclide therapy (RNT), in radiation dose units of gray (Gy), to treat the cancer tissues to a desired level as well as permitting the radiation dose to the normal liver compartment to be minimized. As such, radioembolization represents an excellent example of a theranostic approach to treatment where individualization of the therapy can be highly tailored. The necessary tools are now available to implement this approach on a wider scale, which should improve outcomes for the treated individuals. The aim of this review article was to present a contemporary approach to personalized treatment planning for radioembolization and to emphasize the theranostic aspects of the process. A clinical case is presented demonstrating the potential for excellent clinical outcomes using an image-based and informed treatment plan developed by the multidisciplinary team of nuclear physicians, interventional radiologists, medical oncologists, and medical physicists.

Inspired by international frameworks, New Zealand established a nationally coordinated peptide receptor radionuclide therapy service. This article reflects on the key steps involved in building the service, including the formation of a national neuroendocrine tumor (NET) multidisciplinary meeting, the role of patient advocacy, and the integration of local research. The successful creation of the service, despite significant challenges, demonstrates the value of collaboration between clinicians, government, universities, and patient groups in achieving equitable, high-quality care.