(99m)Tc Auger electrons for targeted tumour therapy: a review.

PURPOSE Targeted radiotherapy using Auger electrons presents multiple advantages and challenges. The advantageous characteristics of this type of radiotherapy can explain the growing interest in these specific electrons for cancer therapy. During the last decade, Technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) has been used as an imaging agent and only recently has it been analysed as a potential therapeutic agent. This paper aims to be a review on the potential use of (99m)Tc as a therapeutic agent. CONCLUSIONS The physical properties of (99m)Tc along with its large availability through a generator in situ may represent a new and important pathway in targeted radiotherapy. Experimental data obtained so far has encouraged multiple researchers to investigate (99m)Tc further as a therapeutic agent for multiple common oncologic situations. In spite of these initial attempts to use (99m)Tc as a therapeutic agent beyond that of imaging, future studies are required to better define its dosimetric implications and radiobiological efficacy.