Repeated radionuclide therapy improves prostate cancer survival

Repeated sessions of radionuclide therapy with Re-HEDP have been shown to improve overall survival rates and reduce pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases.

A new study reviewed 60 patient cases with hormone-refractory prostate cancer, all of whom had more than five lesions documented by a bone scan. Subjects were divided into three groups - those who received one therapy, two therapies or three or more therapies.

Researchers found that survival rates increased with the number of sessions of radionuclide therapy administered.

Dr Hans-Juergen Biersack, lead author of the study, stated: “For patients failing chemotherapy or hormone treatments, Re-HEDP is a promising therapy that can both extend the number of survival years and relieve pain from bone metastases.

“The findings support and expand the role of molecular therapy with radioisotopes in oncology.”

At the end of the study, patients who had had three or more therapies improved their survival by 15.7 months.

Radionuclide therapy is already thought to benefit those with neuroendocrine tumours, by reducing tumour size and limiting the cancers side effects.

Computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging has been used to categorise tumour response to radionuclide therapy.

It was shown that the treatment improves symptoms of diarrhoea, pain, nausea and vomiting.

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