Molecular imaging technique could help optimize radiotherapy dose to combat NETs

Aggressive neuroendocrine cancer is something of a dark horse – a rare, elusive and persevering force linked to discouraging long-term survival rates. Researchers are presenting a molecular imaging technique that allows oncologists to set patients’ radiotherapy doses right at that critical limit of delivering the most powerful kill to neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) while protecting vulnerable vital organs.

The delicate balance of administering the maximum safe dose is called personalized dosimetry, and it can vary widely between patients. This poses a problem for clinicians. A number of radiotherapies that marry a small but potent amount of radioactive material and a targeted molecular compound have been gaining traction as progressive treatments for malignant NETs, which can develop wherever nerve cells and hormone-producing endocrine cells are present (e.g., gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, lungs, thyroid). Read more.