Aim: Fractionation is generally used as a mean to improve radioimmunotherapy (RIT). Since RIT is considered suitable for small-volume disease, the aim of the current study was to investigate whether repeated administration of (177)Lu-labeled mAb BR96 was tolerated and could delay or prevent metastatic disease after complete remission of the tumor obtained by the first administration.
Methods: Immunocompetent rats bearing a syngeneic colon carcinoma were first treated with 400 MBq/kg (177)Lu-DOTA-BR96, an activity resulting in complete response in 29 of 30 animals. On day 21, two groups of rats were given an additional activity of 150 or 350 MBq/kg resulting in total administered activities corresponding to 0.9 and 1.3 times the maximal tolerated dose.
Results: The additional treatment resulted in tolerable myelotoxicity; however, the frequency of metastatic disease and survival were not affected. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated binding of the BR96 antibody to tissue sections of analyzed metastases.
Conclusions: In our model, development of metastatic disease after treatment of the manifest tumor was not prevented by an additional treatment with the same radioimmunoconjugate. Therefore, the antibody should be labeled with a more suitable radionuclide for treatment of metastases. The repeated targeted therapy was well tolerated in aspects of myelotoxicity.