In radioimmunotherapy, the treatment of bulk tumors by radionuclides that emit energetic beta particles is the preferred approach. However, for the eradication of small clusters of cancer cells, radionuclides that emit Auger electrons or alpha particles are considered to be advantageous because of their ability to deposit radiation energy locally. If such radionuclides are internalized by the cells, the total dose to the cell nuclei is thought to be primarily determined by the self-dose (dose to cell nucleus from activity within the cell) in comparison to the cross-dose (dose to the cell nucleus from activity in all other cells).
Methods and results: The self-dose-to-cross-dose ratios to the cell nucleus were calculated for different cluster sizes (26-400 microns) with monoenergetic electron and alpha particle sources distributed uniformly in different cell compartments (cell surface, cytoplasm, nucleus). Model calculations were also performed for several radionuclides (Auger, beta and alpha emitters). Absorbed fractions for sources of monoenergetic electron and alpha particles, distributed uniformly in small spheres (26-5000 microns), were also calculated along with S-values for a number of radionuclides.
Conclusions: When most of the cells in the cluster are labeled with beta or alpha emitters, the cross-dose component of the total dose is important irrespective of cluster size and subcellular source distribution and increases as the cluster size increases. The self-dose is always important for Auger emitters. When the self-dose is negligible, the mean absorbed dose to the cell nuclei is well represented by the mean dose to the micrometastasis.