RadioImmunotherapy
A new weapon in the fight against cancer.
Radioimmunotherapy is a new weapon in the fight against cancer. Zevalin is the first Radioimmunotherapy treatment to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the treatment of certain types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Zevalin is different in many ways from conventional chemotherapy or external beam radiation therapy.
Radioimmunotherapy is a treatment that uses a radiation source, such as a radioisotope, with a component of the immune system, such as an antibody. Zevalin combines the cell targeting ability of a monoclonal antibody with the additional cell killing ability of a radioactive material called Yttrium-90.
The monoclonal antibody recognizes and attaches to a particular part of a B-Cell, called the CD20 antigen. This process allows Zevalin to specifically target B-cells, therefore destroying malignant NHL B-Cells.
Treatment can be completed within a week on an out-patient basis. This regime is generally well tolerated by the patients and can be given safely and effectively in a community cancer center.