|
|
||||||||
BASIC SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS |
Departments of Chemical and Radiation Safety, Pharmacy Practice, Pathology and Microbiology, Internal Medicine, and Radiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska; Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, and Corixa Corp., South San Francisco, California; and Nuclear Physics Enterprises, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
| ABSTRACT |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key Words: release criteria radionuclide therapy radiation safety monoclonal antibody therapy
| INTRODUCTION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Before the NRC rule change, most radionuclide treatment protocols required extended patient hospitalization. This requirement, though intended to protect family members and others who would otherwise be in close contact with the patient, added to the effort, cost, and inconvenience of this treatment. In many cases, therapies were performed as inpatient solely to comply with regulations and not for medical reasons. In some instances, the previous limit coerced physicians to administer less radioactivity than they would have liked so that hospital stays could be avoided (4). Under the new regulations, many patients can now be immediately released from the hospital or clinic after therapy with radionuclides (58). Patient-specific calculations have indicated that all patients receiving 131I-anti-B1 monoclonal antibody (Bexxar, tositumomab and 131I-tositumomab; Corixa Corp., South San Francisco, CA), an investigational new therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (911), are now releasable. Therefore, the new regulations permit 131I-anti-B1 antibody therapy to be conducted on an outpatient basis using the established recommended protocol (5).
Although the patient who has received 131I-anti-B1 antibody is releasable, it is important to determine whether other individuals exposed to the released patient are receiving doses < 5 mSv (500 mrem). Direct measurements are the best way to determine the dose any individual is likely to receive on the basis of the realities of daily living. In most cases, the maximally exposed individual will be a close family member. Generally, one must assume that such individuals will have little or no knowledge of radiation safety and thus require some instructions to limit their potential exposure. Although the NRC has provided patient release criteria (2), guidance on instructing these patients to keep the radiation dose to others as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA) is limited. Recently, more guidance has been provided in the literature (5,6,12,13). Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the radiation doses received by maximally exposed members of the general public (e.g., family members) from patients who received therapeutic doses of 131I-anti-B1 antibody as an outpatient treatment and to determine whether the instructions provided to maintain doses ALARA were adequate. The family members were provided with radiation monitoring devices (film badges, thermoluminescent or optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLs), or electronic digital dosimeters) to measure their radiation doses and also to confirm that these doses were below regulatory limits. Instructions were provided on actions recommended to keep doses to potentially exposed individuals ALARA. The dose measurement results of the radiation monitoring devices worn by the family members confirm the appropriateness of and patient compliance with the instructions provided.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Patient-Specific Dose Calculation
According to the regulatory guidance, patients may be released on the basis of specific conditions. The following equations were used to calculate the total effective dose equivalent to individuals exposed to the patient for an infinite time (derivations of these equations are discussed in the Appendix):
On the basis of administered activity:
![]() | (Eq. 1) |
![]() | (Eq. 2) |
) is the total effective dose equivalent (millisieverts) to the maximally exposed individual over an infinite time, Q0 is the administered activity (megabecquerels), Teff is the patients total-body effective half-time (days) determined by measurements after a tracer dose, Teff is 0.693 x
(residence time) under the condition of modeling whole-body retention as a single exponential, and Dr is the dose rate (mSv/h) at 1 m from the patient immediately after therapeutic administration.
The release criteria calculated using the administered activity (Eq. 1) are more conservative than those calculated using the patients dose rate (Eq. 2), because no attenuation of the radiation by the body is considered. With the release limit of D(
) < 5 mSv (500 mrem), Equations 1 and 2 can be rearranged as follows to determine maximum administered activity or patient dose rate for patient release (i.e., either Eq. 3 or Eq. 4 must be true to allow release):
![]() | (Eq. 3) |
![]() | (Eq. 4) |
These calculations take into account internal dose contribution and are based on conservative assumptions given in regulatory guide 8.39 (2). For example, regulatory guide 8.39 assumes that for the first 8 h after administration of radioiodine, 80% of the radioactivity is not voided from the urinary bladder (e.g., eliminated solely by the 8-d physical decay of 131I) and that the occupancy factor (the fraction of time that the maximally exposed individual is within 1 m of the patient) is 0.75 for this initial period.
If the actual administered activity is less than the activity determined according to Equation 3, then the patient is releasable according to the new NRC regulations. Equation 3 involves the use of only a single patient-specific factor (i.e., effective half-time), which must be included in the patients record at the time of release. Equation 4 was also used to determine the releasibility of the patient. In this case, a second patient-specific factor, the patients dose rate at 1 m, which accounts for attenuation, must also be included in the patients record at the time of release. The dose rate is measured after the therapeutic administration. All the calculations assume the use of an occupancy factor of 0.25 after the initial 8-h nonvoiding period. The occupancy factor is the fraction of time that an individual is assumed to be 1 m away from the released patient. If there is justification for using a lower occupancy factor of 0.125, or if a higher occupancy factor of 0.5 or more is indicated, then the calculated values must be changed accordingly (5,7).
For the 131I-anti-B1 antibody protocol, data indicate that a more appropriate assumption is that an initial nonvoiding period of 3 h can be used, instead of the 8-h period suggested by the NRC. A 3-h period is more appropriate because it has been shown to be a conservative estimate for the time of the first voiding of the urinary bladder (15) and because it is consistent with the analysis performed on 109 131I-anti-B1 antibody patient studies (6). The conservative nature of this 3-h assumption is further supported by the fact that 131I-anti-B1 antibody is absorbed instantaneously because of its intravenous administration, whereas regulatory guide 8.39 assumed oral administration. Additionally, for this initial nonvoiding period, it makes sense to account for 100% of the administered activity and not the 80% recommended in regulatory guide 8.39.Using these assumptions and the fact that R/h =
Q0/r2, the dose over an infinite time to the exposed individual becomes:
![]() | (Eq. 5) |
This equation was also used to project the dose for infinite time in this study.
Guidelines
If the calculations indicate that the patient is releasable, one then determines whether the patient can actually be released. Patients containing >1.22 GBq (33 mCi) 131I (or with a dose rate > 0.07 mSv/h [7 mrem/h] at 1 m) can be released if one can show that no individual who comes into contact with the patient is likely to receive a dose > 5 mSv. The release is dependent on the circumstances of each patient. Interviewing the patient and using that information to determine whether the patient may be released are essential. Factors to consider include the patients ability to understand and willingness to follow written instructions, the patients ability to care for himself or herself, the patients ability to refrain from returning to work if necessary, the patients exposure to others while returning home after treatment, and the presence of urinary incontinence. The form that we used to interview patients is shown in Figure 1. Once the patient interview is completed, the responsible physician or radiation safety officer evaluates whether the patient can be released. If the determination is affirmative, discharge instructions are given to the patient.
|
Patient discharge instructions for various activities (e.g., using public transportation, attending to personal hygiene, and maintaining distance from others) were developed using exposure data obtained from patients who had been treated with 131I-anti-B1 antibody and confined under the old release regulations and by making assumptions about the distances at which individuals typically interact with each other in various social situations. A diary was kept by the maximally exposed individual to record the times that the radiation monitoring device was worn and the interactions with the patient.
The radiation safety discharge instructions were provided to and discussed with the patients and caregivers (if possible) by the nuclear medicine physician or radiation safety personnel before the release of the patient. Any questions about radiation safety issues were answered at that time. One copy of these written instructions was provided to the patient, and a second copy was maintained in the patients files.
Radiation Monitoring
Family members received film badges, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), OSLs, or electronic digital dosimeters. In most cases, the caregiver was given more than a single type of device. Radiation safety personnel taught the caregivers how to wear and use the devices. The caregivers were also asked to log their activities and resultant exposures to verify the appropriateness of the discharge instructions and to confirm that the radiation doses to the family members were below the regulatory limits. The readings were also compared with the theoretic doses over an infinite time predicted by the patient-specific calculations.
Data Analysis
All radiation monitoring devices were processed on return. Diaries of the direct-reading dosimeters were reviewed, and the readings were transferred to spreadsheets for subsequent analyses. The final dosimeter reading was used to calculate the predicted dose over an infinite time based to the maximally exposed individual using the following equation:
![]() | (Eq. 6) |
) is the total effective dose equivalent (millisieverts) to the maximally exposed individual and N is the number of days the individual was monitored. This "measured" dose for infinite time was compared with the doses for infinite time predicted by Equations 1, 2, and 5. | RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The fact that the new regulations are dose-based rather than activity-based is an advantage because this change standardizes the dose for release among different radionuclides, each of which is characterized by a different half-life and spectrum of emissions. Patients can now be released regardless of how much administered activity they received, as long as the total dose to any individual is not likely to exceed 5 mSv (500 mrem), which is approximately 1.5 times the exposure the average American receives annually from natural background radiation.
The preference for this dose-based approach for patient release was expressed more than 30 y ago, as indicated by the following statement in NCRP report 37, from 1970 (16): "Since the exposure rates and half-lives of various radionuclides differ greatly, a more meaningful basis for release from the hospital is the possible exposure to other individuals with whom the patients are likely to associate."
When the predicted dose for infinite time to the maximally exposed individual is calculated, Equation 1 (administered activity) will always yield a greater dose than Equation 2 (patient dose rate) because Equation 1 conservatively assumes a point source geometry with no consideration for body attenuation. Likewise, Equation 2 will yield a more conservative dose for infinite time than Equation 5 because of the differences in the initial nonvoiding period. Although less conservative, Equation 5 should be used in predicting dose for infinite time for 2 reasons: first, because the initial 3-h nonvoiding period is a more appropriate model for this protocol and, second, because our results show that the measured dose for infinite time will be considerably less than the predicted dose for infinite time the maximally exposed individual will receive (e.g., measured dose was 33% less than predicted dose for the patients receiving 75 cGy).
For patients 14 and 15, who had the highest measured dose for infinite time to the maximally exposed individual, the monitoring was shared by more than a single person. On the basis of these patients travel and housing situations (i.e., exposure to various individuals), we determined that having more than a single person use the dosimeter would better approximate the dose to the maximally exposed individual. In both cases, the measured dose for infinite time was less than the 5-mSv limit.
For patient 11, the monitoring period was only 3 d. The monitored individual received 0.79 mSv during this period; however, projected out to infinite time, the resulting dose is 1.71 mSv. This dose is higher than what Equation 2 (1.22 mSv) or Equation 5 (1.02 mSv) predicts. This patient was to receive conventional chemotherapy shortly after the therapeutic administration, and in this situation the patient and caregiver spent more time together than usual during this short time.
| CONCLUSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| APPENDIX |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Use of the physical half-life, not the effective half-life, of the radionuclide assumes that the body retains the radionuclide (e.g., 131I) until it is fully decayed and that none is cleared through biologic processes. Clearly, this is not true: biologic processes do affect the clearance of radionuclides. Patients receiving 131I therapy do not retain radioactivity for the physical half-life of the radionuclide. Rather, patients eliminate 131I more quickly because of biologic elimination. As a result, the patient-specific dose calculations, which take into account both the physical and the biologic half-life (i.e., the effective half-life) of the radionuclide, are more complete and appropriate than the NRC default tables in calculating the dose an individual will likely receive if exposed to a patient treated with 131I (7). Because the default tables do not take into account the biologic elimination of the radionuclide, their use will overestimate the dose an individual would receive if exposed to a patient treated with 131I. Using a patient-specific dose calculation provides a more complete and appropriate estimation of dose.
Direct measurements are the best way to obtain the dose any individual is likely to receive under realistic exposure conditions. Three previous studies (1719) measured doses to family members from patients who were released after treatment of thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism with <1.11 GBq (30 mCi) 131I. These studies showed that use of only the physical half-life in calculations will overestimate radiation doses received by family members and suggested that the patient-specific dose calculation will be conservative. These data are summarized in Table 1A. On the basis of these 3 studies, a regulatory analysis (3) concluded that the revised NRC patient-release rule provides an adequate level of protection, with a significant margin of safety for patients who make a reasonable effort to follow instructions. Therefore, both professional judgment and empiric measurements support the validity of using the patient-specific dose calculation in determining the maximum likely radiation dose to another individual. The radiation dose predicted by the calculation is usually significantly higher than the dose obtained by direct measurements with film badges or TLDs worn by the family members of the patients.
|
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has performed several 131I-anti-B1 antibody therapies since late 1996. In all cases, a monoexponential clearance rate has been observed. Using the assumptions of the regulatory guide for the initial 8-h period and a monoexponential clearance after this nonvoiding period, and taking into account the internal dose contribution from 131I (Eq. B-6 in the regulatory guide), the following equation based on a point source geometry determines the dose for infinite time to the maximally exposed individual:
![]() | (Eq. 1A) |
![]() |
![]() |
) is the dose for an infinite time to the maximally exposed individual (millisieverts); Q0 is the administered activity (megabecquerels); 34.6 is a conversion factor of 24 h/d divided by ln2 (resulting from integration);
is the
-ray constant, which is 0.595 mSv-cm2/MBq-h for 131I; E1 is the occupancy factor for the first 8 h, or 0.75; E2 is the occupancy factor after 8 h, or 0.25; Tp is 8.04 d; Teff is the effective half-life (days) based on the patients dosimetric dose (e.g., the initial 185-MBq [5 mCi] dose administered to calculate the activity required for that patients therapy); and 0.000143 is a factor derived from regulatory guide 8.39.When multiplied by Q0, this factor gives the internal dose contribution in millisieverts. On simplification, the equation for dose for infinite time becomes:
![]() | (Eq. 2A) |
Using the patient dose rate at 1 m (Dr), the equation for dose for infinite time becomes:
![]() | (Eq. 3A) |
![]() | (Eq. 4A) |
![]() | (Eq. 5A) |
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
| FOOTNOTES |
|---|
For correspondence or reprints contact: Frank J. Rutar, MS, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985480 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5480.
| REFERENCES |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Related articles in JNM:
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
P. Z. Pace-Asciak, R. J. Payne, S. J. Eski, P. Walfish, M. Damani, and J. L. Freeman Cost Savings of Patients With a MACIS Score Lower Than 6 When Radioactive Iodine Is Not Given Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, September 1, 2007; 133(9): 870 - 873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. G. Hunt, D. Nosske, and D. S. dos Santos Estimation of the dose to the nursing infant due to direct irradiation from activity present in maternal organs and tissues Radiat Prot Dosimetry, April 28, 2005; 113(3): 290 - 299. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. M. Vose Bexxar(R): Novel Radioimmunotherapy for the Treatment of Low-Grade and Transformed Low-Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Oncologist, April 1, 2004; 9(2): 160 - 172. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. W. Seldin Techniques for Using Bexxar for the Treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma* J. Nucl. Med. Technol., September 1, 2002; 30(3): 109 - 114. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. O. Dillman Radiolabeled Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibodies for the Treatment of B-Cell Lymphoma J. Clin. Oncol., August 15, 2002; 20(16): 3545 - 3557. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. A. Siegel, S. Kroll, D. Regan, M. S. Kaminski, and R. L. Wahl A Practical Methodology for Patient Release After Tositumomab and 131I-Tositumomab Therapy J. Nucl. Med., March 1, 2002; 43(3): 354 - 363. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. D. Venencia, A. G. Germanier, S. R. Bustos, A. A. Giovannini, and E. P. Wyse Hospital Discharge of Patients with Thyroid Carcinoma Treated with 131I J. Nucl. Med., January 1, 2002; 43(1): 61 - 65. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. G. Stabin Investigation of Patient Release Criteria J. Nucl. Med., June 1, 2001; 42(6): 916 - 916. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY | THE JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE |