Development of a Platform for Dosimetry in Tumor Tissue During the Treatment of Prostate, Neuroendocrine, Thyroid, and Liver Cancers using the Radiopharmaceuticals 90Y-microspheres, 131I-NaI, 131I-MIBG, 177Lu-PSMA, and 177Lu-DOTATATE

• Grant number: 24/14615-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Radiology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Tatit Sapienza
• Grantee: Marcelo Tatit Sapienza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/22802-6 - Development of a Platform for Dosimetry in Tumor Tissue During the Treatment of Prostate, Neuroendocrine, Thyroid, and Liver Cancers using the Radiopharmaceuticals 90Y-microspheres, 131I-NaI, 131I-MIBG, 177Lu-PSMA, and 177Lu-DOTATATE, BP.TT

Abstract

The incidence of cancer and mortality from the disease are rapidly increasing worldwide as a reflection of lifestyle habits and population aging, making early diagnosis and therapy important in disease control. Whether in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, Nuclear Medicine stands out from other medical modalities employed in Oncology due to its ability to operate at a molecular scale, providing greater precision in functional assessment and tumor control. Currently, the primary oncological treatments in nuclear medicine involve the application of radiotherapeutics 131I-NaI, 131I-MIBG, 177Lu-PSMA, 177Lu-DOTATATE, and 90Y-microspheres, respectively for patients with thyroid cancer, neuroblastomas, prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and liver tumors.The basis of radioactive element therapy lies in cellular death due to radiotoxicity generated by absorbed radiation doses (Gy), with a direct relationship between tumor dose and disease eradication. However, useful radiation dose calculations for therapeutic planning in Nuclear Medicine are difficult due to the numerous physical, biological, and dosimetric variables that must be considered, compounded by the limited number of qualified professionals capable of performing them. This has hindered the integration of dose-centered therapeutic planning, similar to what radiotherapy and brachytherapy have accomplished for decades.Thus, this project aims to develop a dosimetry platform for estimating tissue dose during the clinical application of the mentioned radiotherapeutics, which will facilitate the implementation of individualized patient therapy and thereby promote and enable the practice of personalized and precision medicine. (AU)