A recent study comparing holmium-166 (QuiremSpheres, from Terumo) to technetium-99m-macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) as a work up for selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) has found QuieremSpheres to be superior in terms of predicting which patients with liver cancer will benefit from SIRT treatment. The results were published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine Molecular Imaging.
The aim of the study was to analyse whether the intrahepatic distribution of QuiremScout has a better agreement with the QuiremSpheres distribution when compared with 99mTc-MAA. Several scientific papers have indicated that the widely used 99mTc-MAA has limited predictive value, a Terumo press release claims.
The present study included 53 patients that had been included in either phase 1 or phase 2 Holmium Embolization Particles for Arterial Radiotherapy (HEPAR) studies, and showed QuiremScout has superior predictive value for intrahepatic distribution in comparison to 99mTc-MAA.
“Previous studies already demonstrated that QuiremScout is safe in this population, and, moreover, a better predictor for lung shunting than 99mTc-MAA,” first author Maarten Smits comments. “As a result, QuiremScout allows for more accurate SIRT patient selection. Now, our study shows the potential of QuiremScout to also improve the efficacy of SIRT, by allowing a more accurate and truly personalised pre-treatment activity planning.”
“This is an important next step towards unlocking the full potential of Quirem Scout,” says Rijk de Jong, medical director of Quirem Medical. “Smits et al publication further strengthens the evidence base of QuiremScout, demonstrating superiority over 99mTc-MAA in the evaluation of the subsequent treatment. We believe this will translate into enhanced efficacy and safety for the benefit of patients undergoing SIRT procedures.”
“This is a very exciting milestone for QuiremScout and the next step in building the future for SIRT,” adds Peter Coenen, president of Interventional systems, Terumo. “This publication further validates the advantages of QuiremScout over 99mTc-MAA during the SIRT work up, which we at Terumo believe is a vital step in advancing patient selection and optimising dosimetry for better patient outcomes.”
QuiremScout is the first SIRT work up product that utilises the same technology as the therapeutic microspheres, which aims to optimise patient selection and advance treatment planning when compared to using 99mTc-MAA.
