The Potential Value of Radiolabelled Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy

The use of radionuclides for therapy in human subjects depends on sufficient accumulation of atoms with effective radiation characteristics at a precise anatomical location. This has traditionally been achieved by direct introduction of radioisotopes to the site of disease, such as intracavitary administration of radiocolloids, or by the exploitation of existing metabolic pathways, such as iodine concentration in thyroid tissue. In recent years, particularly since the development of monoclonal antibodies, the possibility of targeting of radionuclides by immunologic means has become a real one. Not only are monoclonal antibodies highly specific, but they can be produced on a commercial scale by mass culture techniques using the hybridoma cells from which they are derived, and they can be readily purified.