ABSTRACT
Although the management of cancer by exploiting the differences between neoplastic and normal cells has always been an attractive concept, it was the development of hybridoma technology and the resulting tumor-associated monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) that offered new prospects on that strategy. Twenty years later some of the applications of Mabs to oncology are now part of the everyday diagnosis and treatment (i.e., immunohistochemistry, radioimmunodetection), while others, including radioimmunotherapy (RIT), remain an area of intensive investigation. Over the last decade the use of Mabs as carriers of high-activity radionuclides for the treatment of malignant diseases spurred an unprecedented effort in oncology and nuclear medicine research. The Mab-isotope conjugate, after binding to the target cell and delivering a lethal radiation dose, could offer the advantage of killing many untargeted cells through ‘‘crossfire irradiation’’ (1).
