Prof. Marek Dedecjus explains how radioligand therapy precisely targets cancer cells with minimal impact on healthy tissue.
What is Radioligand Therapy?
Radioligand therapy is a form of precision medicine in its purest form. The drug used consists of two elements – a molecule that recognizes cancer cells and a radioactive isotope that emits a small, strictly controlled dose of radiation. This molecule, called a ligand, guides the radioactive isotope exactly to the cancer cells. The radiation acts locally, destroying the cell from within, with minimal impact on healthy tissues.
Advantages Over Traditional Treatments
This is not “just another drug” in the traditional sense. Chemotherapy or hormone therapy affect the entire body. Here we have targeted treatment that works only where there is an appropriate biological marker. At the same time, the drug itself finds the disease. In terms of theranostics, which combines therapy and diagnostics, it represents a huge step forward.
The Role of PET Diagnostics
PET diagnostics is the foundation of the entire process. This examination allows us to see if the tumor has the appropriate molecular target. In other words – whether the therapy has something to bind to. If we see a clear signal in the PET study – PSMA expression, we know that the cancer cells are “visible” to the radioligand and we can expect treatment effectiveness.
Benefits for Patients
In patients with advanced disease, the primary goal of treatment is to control the tumor, extend life, and improve quality of life. Radioligand therapy very often reduces pain symptoms, especially in patients with bone metastases. Patients regain their fitness, can reduce pain treatment, and their daily functioning improves.
Implementation Challenges
In terms of specialist competencies, we are very well prepared. We have qualified nuclear medicine physicians, clinical oncologists, urologists, radiologists, and medical physicists. The challenges mainly concern organization and funding. Radioligand therapy requires appropriately prepared departments and nuclear medicine facilities as well as a clearly defined patient pathway.
Future Prospects
Numerous studies are being conducted worldwide on new radioligands in various types of tumors. I think that in the coming years we will witness the expansion of this approach. Just as immunotherapy was once new and is now standard in many diseases, so theranostics and radioligand therapy have a chance to become one of the pillars of modern oncology.
