Radionuclide Therapy for Bone Metastases: Utility of Scintigraphy and PET Imaging for Treatment Planning

PET Clin. 2018 Oct;13(4):491-503. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2018.05.005. Epub 2018 Aug 17.

Abstract

The skeleton is a common site for cancer metastases. Bone metastases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality and associated with pain, pathologic fractures, spinal cord compression, and decreased survival. Various radionuclides have been used for pain therapy. Recently, an α-emitter has been shown to improve overall survival of patients with bone metastases from castration-resistant prostate cancer and was approved as a therapeutic agent. The aim of this article is to provide an overview regarding state of the art radionuclide therapy options for bone metastases, with focus on the role of PET imaging in therapy planning.

Keywords: Bone metastases; Breast cancer; Lung cancer; PET; Prostate cancer; Radionuclide therapy; Radium-223.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Bone Neoplasms / secondary
  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Male
  • Pain / prevention & control
  • Patient Care Planning
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods
  • Prostatic Neoplasms
  • Radioisotopes / therapeutic use*
  • Radionuclide Imaging / methods
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Radium / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Radioisotopes
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Radium-223
  • Radium