DOSIMETRY IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE - PART II 

The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular imaging 2011 April;55(2):205-21

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Dosimetry in nuclear medicine therapy: radiobiology application and results

Strigari L. ¹, Benassi M. ^{1, 2}, Chiesa C. ³, Cremonesi M. ⁴, Bodei L. ⁵, D’Andrea M. ¹ ✉

¹ Laboratory of Medical Physics and Expert Systems, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy; ² Medical Physics Depatment, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Meldola, Forlì-Cesena, Italy; ³ Nuclear Medicine Unit, Foundation IRCCS, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy; ⁴ Medical Physics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy; ⁵ Nuclear Medicine Divisions, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

The linear quadratic model (LQM) has largely been used to assess the radiobiological damage to tissue by external beam fractionated radiotherapy and more recently has been extended to encompass a general continuous time varying dose rate protocol such as targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT).
In this review, we provide the basic aspects of radiobiology, from a theoretical point of view, starting from the “four Rs” of radiobiology and introducing the biologically effective doses, which may be used to quantify the impact of a treatment on both tumors and normal tissues. We also present the main parameters required in the LQM, and illustrate the main models of tumor control probability and normal tissue complication probability and summarize the main dose–effect responses, reported in literature, which demonstrate the tentative link between targeted radiotherapy doses and those used in conventional radiotherapy. A better understanding of the radiobiology and mechanisms of action of TRT could contribute to describe the clinical data and guide the development of future compounds and the designing of prospective clinical trials.