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Targeted alpha-particle therapy (or TAT) is an in-development method of targeted radionuclide therapy of various cancers. It employs radioactive substances which undergo alpha decay to treat diseased tissue at close proximity. [1] It has the potential to provide highly targeted treatment, especially to microscopic tumour cells.
Alpha radiation is a nuclear phenomenon in which a heavy radionuclide emits an energetic alpha particle (consisting of two protons and two neutrons) and transmutes to a different radionuclide. The emitted alpha particle has a range in tissue of only 40-90 microns, which minimizes collateral damage when used for treatment purposes.
Radium-224 is a radioactive atom that is utilized as a source of alpha radiation in a cancer treatment device called DaRT (diffusing alpha emitters radiation therapy). Each radium-224 atom undergoes a decay process producing 6 daughter atoms. During this process, 4 alpha particles are emitted.
However, this type of radiation is significantly absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, which is a radiation shield equivalent to about 10 meters of water. [ 7 ] The alpha particle was named by Ernest Rutherford after the first letter in the Greek alphabet , α , when he ranked the known radioactive emissions in descending order of ionising effect ...
Alpha radiation has a very short range in tissues compared to beta or gamma radiation: around 2–10 cells. This reduces damage to surrounding healthy tissues, producing an even more localized effect than the beta-emitter strontium-89, also used to treat bone cancer. [17] Taking account of its preferential uptake by bone and the alpha particles ...
Hyperthermia therapy; Ablation with alpha radiation therapy A new type of ablation therapy that utilizes alpha radiation is now undergoing clinical trials for treatment of several types of solid tumors. Alpha particles are emitted from intratumorally-inserted seeds that have Ra-224 atoms fixed to their surface.
Bragg curve of 5.49 MeV alpha particles in air. The force usually increases toward the end of range and reaches a maximum, the Bragg peak, shortly before the energy drops to zero. The curve that describes the force as function of the material depth is called the Bragg curve. This is of great practical importance for radiation therapy.
This is a type of targeted therapy which uses the physical, chemical and biological properties of the radiopharmaceutical to target areas of the body for radiation treatment. [3] The related diagnostic modality of nuclear medicine employs the same principles but uses different types or quantities of radiopharmaceuticals in order to image or ...