Cytogen: "less Quadramet toxicity via ILP"

USA-based Cytogen Corp says that preclinical data on Quadramet (samarium Sm-153 lexidronam injection), suggest that the agent, which is currently marketed for the relief of pain associated with cancer progression to bones, suggests that a novel route of administration may increase local targeted exposure to the osteosarcoma tumor in a single limb and minimize systemic exposure to radioactivity.

The findings, which were presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington DC, demonstrate that isolated limb perfusion (ILP) can specifically target the agent to the limbs of dogs with spontaneously-occurring osteosarcomas.

Quantitative scintigraphy estimates of radioactivity in the tissues of the isolated limb versus the contralateral non-perfused limb were calculated and gamma camera pictures showed a bone-only deposition pattern. Mean systemic blood and urine gamma counts were 0.5 counts per minute, whereas mean gamma counts for the isolated limb blood were 8.3 counts per minute throughout the one-hour perfusion and there was 14-fold more Quadramet in the isolated limb as compared to the contralateral limb.