The medical team of the Division of Nuclear Medicine, directed by Dr. Giovanni
Paganelli, has implemented a revolutionary radioimmuno-technique, which has
showed virtually no toxicity and has been successfully applied in the treatment
of a brain tumour called glioblastoma. The new therapeutic strategy, named
3-step-pretargeting, consists of tumour targeting through monoclonal antibodies
and of tumour destruction the through a radioactive isotope guided to the
antibody via the avidin-biotin system.

Presently, this type of immunoradiotherapy has been applied only in advanced
stage tumours, in which other therapies have failed. The types of tumour that
seem more sensitive to this type of therapy are those of the brain, the ovary,
and lymphomas. Although the treatment is tolerated well and is free of the
undesirable side effects of other conventional therapies, it is necessary to
highlight that it is still an experimental therapy, indicated only for certain
types of neoplasms, and only when the tumour is smaller than 2-3 centimetres in
diameter.

The pretargeting system with avidin-biotin represents a promising model of
radioimmunotherapy. In theory, it can be applied to all types of tumour for
which specific antibodies are available. Although complex, the system is not
difficult to apply. It requires, however, a specially equipped area for the
manipulation of radioisotopes.
Essential References

Cancer Res /Vol 51: 5960-6, 1991

J Nucl Med /Vol 33:1110-2, 1992

J Nucl Med /Vol 37:967-71, 1996

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine /Vol 24: 350-1, 1997

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine / Vol 25: 1336-9, 1998

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine /Vol 26:348-357, 1999