The IAEA Radiotracer Biodistribution Template - A community resource for supporting the standardization and reporting of radionuclide pre-dosimetry data

Abstract

Radionuclide absorbed-dose dosimetry is an active area of development and has the potential to positively impact molecular radiotherapies. At present, many of the operations required to perform dosimetry calculations are unstandardized and unestablished. While the current methodology allows reasonable dosimetry estimates to be derived and published, it can be difficult to understand, and reproduce, each others' work. To help alleviate this we have identified the collection of biodistribution information as a key step in all internal dosimetry calculations, and present a template that can be used to standardize its documentation and reporting. A generalized biodistribution template entitled the IAEA Radiotracer Biodistribution Template (IAEA RaBiT) has been built and distributed for users performing biodistribution measurements in the community. The template enables robust recording of dosimetry-relevant information through standardization of details and their format. It has been designed to be simple and easy to use, and establish a structured recording of a common reference point in dosimetry operations - biodistribution data documentation. Improved documentation procedures may benefit organization of in house data, or be used to disseminate details throughout the community - for example to supplement dosimetry related publications. The standard format information may also enable the creation of new dosimetry related tools and protocols and support robust population databases. As dosimetry in nuclear medicine becomes more routinely applied in clinical applications, we need to develop the infrastructure for robustly handling large amounts of these data. Our IAEA RaBiT can be used as a standard format structure for data collection, organization, and dissemination.

Keywords: Biodistribution template; Internal dosimetry; Radionuclide dosimetry.