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EANM guideline for radionuclide therapy with radium-223 of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging volume 45, pages 824–845 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Radium Ra-223 dichloride (radium-223, Xofigo®) is a targeted alpha therapy approved for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease. Radium-223 is the first targeted alpha therapy in this indication providing a new treatment option, with evidence of a significant survival benefit, both in overall survival and in the time to the first symptomatic skeletal-related event. The skeleton is the most common metastatic site in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Bone metastases are a clinically significant cause of morbidity and mortality, often resulting in bone pain, pathologic fracture, or spinal cord compression necessitating treatment. Radium-223 is selectively accumulated in the bone, specifically in areas of high bone turnover, by forming complexes with the mineral hydroxyapatite (the inorganic matrix of the bone). The alpha radiation generated during the radioactive decay of radium-223 produces a palliative anti-tumour effect on the bone metastases. The purpose of this guideline is to assist nuclear medicine specialists in evaluating patients who might be candidates for treatment using radium-223, planning and performing this treatment, understanding and evaluating its consequences, and improving patient management during therapy and follow-up.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, D-45122, Essen, Germany

    Thorsten D. Poeppel, Andreas Bockisch & Wilfried Sonnenschein

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Centre of Oncology - MSC Institute, Gliwice, Poland

    Daria Handkiewicz-Junak

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Michael Andreeff

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Teaching Hospital Feldkirch, Feldkirch, Austria

    Alexander Becherer

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital Lippe, Lemgo, Germany

    Eva Fricke

  6. Department of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Lilli Geworski

  7. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany

    Alexander Heinzel

  8. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany

    Bernd J. Krause

  9. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Thomas Krause

  10. Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Markus Mitterhauser

  11. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Applied Diagnostics, Vienna, Austria

    Markus Mitterhauser

  12. Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Lisa Bodei

  13. Department of Diagnostic Imaging (Radiology) and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital San Pedro and Centre for Biomedical Research of La Rioja (CIBIR), Logroño, La Rioja, Spain

    Roberto C. Delgado-Bolton

  14. Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, Kepler University Hospital, Krankenhausstrasse 9, 4020, Linz, Austria

    Michael Gabriel

  15. University Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Michael Gabriel

Authors
  1. Thorsten D. Poeppel
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  2. Daria Handkiewicz-Junak
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  3. Michael Andreeff
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  4. Alexander Becherer
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  5. Andreas Bockisch
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  6. Eva Fricke
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  7. Lilli Geworski
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  8. Alexander Heinzel
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  9. Bernd J. Krause
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  10. Thomas Krause
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  11. Markus Mitterhauser
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  12. Wilfried Sonnenschein
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  13. Lisa Bodei
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  14. Roberto C. Delgado-Bolton
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  15. Michael Gabriel
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Thorsten D. Poeppel or Michael Gabriel.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Preamble

The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) is a professional nonprofit medical association that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and research excellence in nuclear medicine. The EANM was founded in 1985. EANM members are physicians, technologists, and scientists specialising in the research and practice of nuclear medicine.

The EANM will periodically define new guidelines for nuclear medicine practice to help advance the science of nuclear medicine and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout Europe. Existing practice guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner, if indicated.

Each practice guideline, representing a policy statement by the EANM, has undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review. The EANM recognises that the safe and effective use of diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging requires specific training, skills, and techniques, as described in each document.

The EANM has written and approved these guidelines to promote the use of nuclear medicine procedures with high quality. These guidelines are intended to assist practitioners in providing appropriate nuclear medicine care for patients. They are not inflexible rules or requirements of practice and are not intended, nor should they be used, to establish a legal standard of care.

The ultimate judgement regarding the propriety of any specific procedure or course of action must be made by medical professionals taking into account the unique circumstances of each case. Thus, there is no implication that an approach differing from the guidelines, standing alone, is below the standard of care. To the contrary, a conscientious practitioner may responsibly adopt a course of action different from that set forth in the guidelines when, in the reasonable judgement of the practitioner, such course of action is indicated by the condition of the patient, limitations of available resources, or advances in knowledge or technology subsequent to publication of the guidelines.

The practice of medicine involves not only the science but also the art of dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, alleviation, and treatment of disease. The variety and complexity of human conditions make it impossible to always reach the most appropriate diagnosis or to predict with certainty a particular response to treatment. Therefore, it should be recognised that adherence to these guidelines will not ensure an accurate diagnosis or a successful outcome. All that should be expected is that the practitioner will follow a reasonable course of action based on current knowledge, available resources, and the needs of the patient to deliver effective and safe medical care. The sole purpose of these guidelines is to assist practitioners in achieving this objective.

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Poeppel, T.D., Handkiewicz-Junak, D., Andreeff, M. et al. EANM guideline for radionuclide therapy with radium-223 of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 45, 824–845 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-017-3900-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-017-3900-4

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