Quantitative Imaging of Alpha-Emitting Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals
10.1007/s13139-019-00589-8
- Author:
Youngho SEO
1
Author Information
1. Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. youngho.seo@ucsf.edu
- Publication Type:Review
- From:Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
2019;53(3):182-188
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an active area of drug development as a highly specific and highly potent therapeutic modality that can be applied to many types of late-stage cancers. In order to properly evaluate its safety and efficacy, understanding biokinetics of alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals is essential. Quantitative imaging of alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals is often possible via imaging of gammas and positrons produced during complex decay chains of these radionuclides. Analysis of the complex decay chains for alpha-emitting radionuclides (Tb-149, At-211, Bi-212 (decayed from Pb-212), Bi-213, Ra-223, Ac- 225, and Th-227) with relevance to imageable signals is attempted in this mini-review article. Gamma camera imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, bremsstrahlung radiation imaging, Cerenkov luminescence imaging, and Compton cameras are briefly discussed as modalities for imaging alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals.