Hoag Family Cancer Institute is launching two new clinical trials for PET radiotracers: a myeloma imaging trial in the U.S. and a prostate cancer molecular therapy trial in Orange County, CA.
Hoag's CD38 myeloma trial, which is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), will evaluate cancer detection for this rare disease. The phase II trial will assess the use of a highly targeted molecular imaging agent in the early detection and location of a patient's myeloma. This could lead to more effective and less toxic targeted treatment options for myeloma, Hoag said.
The second phase II trial, funded by Hoag philanthropy, will test a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) iodine-131 (I-131) radioligand for prostate cancer. The radioligand is comprised of a ligand that can find specific surface molecules on cancer cells and an I-131 radioisotope that emits therapeutic radiation to kill cancer cells. This therapy is promising for metastatic cancer treatment because a radioligand can target cells anywhere in the body, according to the institute.
