Current clinical application of lutetium-177 in solid tumors (Review)

Radionuclide-based therapy represents a novel treatment regimen for tumors. Among these therapies, lutetium-177 (177Lu) has gained significant attention due to its stability and safety, as well as its ability to emit both gamma and beta rays, allowing for both imaging with single photon emission computed tomography and tumor treatment. As a result, 177Lu can be used for both diagnosis and treatment for diseases such as prostatic and gastric cancer. Therefore, based on the available data, the present review provides a brief overview of the clinical applications of 177Lu-targeted radionuclide therapy in metastatic prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors and other types of solid tumors, and highlights the current therapeutic effect, reduction in damage to normal tissues and future research directions, including the development of new nuclides and the application of more nuclides in different tumors. In the future, such treatments could be used in more tumors.