Precise radiation against lymphoma

Every year, almost 2,000 people in Switzerland are diagnosed with lymphoma, and about 570 of them die from the disease. Researchers at PSI’s Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences have now developed an innovative radioimmunotherapy using the nuclide terbium-161. Attached to a suitable antibody, it brings the radiation directly to the site of the cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Terbium-161 has a decisive advantage over the lutetium-177 used to date: in addition to beta radiation, which spreads over several millimetres in tissue, it also emits electrons with a range of less than one micrometre. This is ideal for the targeted destruction of individual cancer cells or small clusters of cells. Laboratory tests have shown terbium-161 to be two to 43 times more effective than lutetium-177, depending on the type of cell. The researchers are currently preparing clinical trials, aiming to develop a precise new weapon against lymphomas that are particularly difficult to treat.