Human non-hodgkin lymphoma cured by novel nuclear medicine therapy in preclinical model

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a common blood malignancy. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 80,500 new cases and 20,100 deaths will occur in the United States in 2023. The standard of care for many non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients involves chemotherapy and immunotherapy targeting the CD20 protein, which is highly expressed on most non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells.

A new nuclear medicine therapy can cure human non-Hodgkin lymphoma in an animal model, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. A single dose of the radioimmunotherapy, [177Lu]Lu-ofatumumab, was found to quickly eliminate tumor cells and extend the life of mice injected with cancerous cells for more than 221 days (the trial endpoint), compared to fewer than 60 days for other treatments and just 19 days in untreated control mice.

“Although this chemotherapy with immunotherapy combination is usually initially effective, many patients don’t respond or relapse, so we need improved therapies,” said Richard L. Wahl, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor and director of Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the study researchers labeled ofatumumab, a recently developed anti-CD20 fully human antibody, with 177Lu, a widely used therapeutic radioisotope that can kill cancer cells. They then determined the in vitro characteristics of [177Lu]Lu-ofatumumab, estimated human dosimetry, and evaluated its therapeutic effectiveness for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a mouse model.