First tests on new cancer therapy show positive results
The first tests to be carried out on the use of the Bismuth-213 targeted alpha-particle therapy for leukaemia have shown very encouraging results. The new therapy, developed thanks to research at the Commission's Joint Research Centre, has been undergoing testing at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. The first results of this trial were announced at a symposium organized by the European Commission in Karlsruhe on 28 October 1997. The Bismuth-213 isotope is attached to a "monoclonal" antibody in order to reach the desired target. It is the only technique with is both non-invasive and renders knowledge of the target's location unnecessary, since the antibodies home in on the target cells automatically. During the New York trial, nine patients with leukaemia were treated. No acute toxicity was seen, but myelosuppression was observed in several patients. No extramedullary toxicity was seen. No significant uptake was seen in any other organ than those targeted (bone marrow, liver, spleen and blood), where estimated radiation doses delivered were 10,000 to 40,000 times higher than elsewhere in the body. The conclusion of this first trial is that alpha-particle therapy is feasible and appears to be safe. The use of Bismuth-213 is being studied in cancers such as leukaemia, lymphomas and micrometastatic carcinomas. It is also being investigated for the treatment of prostate cancer. Clinical trials are also underway in Europe, in France and Germany.