A radiation treatment that travels only a few cell-widths gave prostate patients an 11.2-month breather

For men whose prostate cancer keeps growing after standard treatments, an Australian first-in-humans trial offers a new kind of precision. The therapy, 212Pb-ADVC001, attaches a tiny alpha-emitting particle — radiation so short-ranged it travels only a few cell-widths — to a molecule that homes in on prostate cancer cells, delivering its punch to the tumour while sparing healthy tissue nearby. In the TheraPb Phase 1 trial, run at hospitals including Princess Alexandra Hospital and Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, 22 men received escalating doses. There were no dose-limiting side effects and no serious treatment-related events; 80% saw their PSA, a blood marker of the cancer, fall by at least half, and every man whose tumour could be measured on scans responded. The time before the cancer grew again reached a median of 11.2 months. Two doses have now been picked for a larger Phase 2 trial.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation