Comparison of 211At-PRIT and 211At-RIT of ovarian microtumors in a nude mouse model.

Purpose: Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) against intraperitoneal (i.p.) ovarian microtumors using avidin-conjugated monoclonal antibody MX35 (avidin-MX35) and At-211-labeled, biotinylated, succinylated poly-L- lysine (At-211-B-PLsuc) was compared with conventional radioimmunotherapy (RIT) using At-211-labeled MX35 in a nude mouse model. Methods: Mice were inoculated i. p. with 1 x 10(7) NIH: OVCAR-3 cells. After 3 weeks, they received PRIT (1.0 or 1.5 MBq), RIT (0.9 MBq), or no treatment. Concurrently, 10 additional animals were sacrificed and examined to determine disease progression at the start of therapy. Treated animals were analyzed with regard to presence of tumors and ascites (tumor-free fraction; TFF), 8 weeks after therapy. Results: Tumor status at baseline was advanced: 70% of sacrificed animals exhibited ascites. The TFFs were 0.35 (PRIT 1.0MBq), 0.45 (PRIT 1.5 MBq), and 0.45 (RIT). The 1.5-MBq PRIT group exhibited lower incidence of ascites and fewer tumors >1mm than RIT-treated animals. Conclusions: PRIT was as effective as RIT with regard to TFF; however, the size distribution of tumors and presence of ascites indicated that 1.5-MBq PRIT was more efficient. Despite advanced disease in many animals at the time of treatment, PRIT demonstrated good potential to treat disseminated ovarian cancer.