Joseph Jurcic, MD, head, Hematologic Malignancies, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses using radioimmunotherapy as a treatment option for patients with AML.
Clinical Pearls
- Only 40% of patients with AML under the age of 60 are cured while only 10% of patients over the age of 60 are cured. The median survival is approximately 6 months.
- Radioimmunotherapy is one way that physicians can help develop more effective therapies while reducing toxicity.
- Initial studies used a beta-emitter but now physicians use alpha particles in therapy.
- By using alpha particles, physicians are able to target the tumor cell and do less damage to the surrounding normal tissue.
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