West Cancer Center is 2nd in the United States to Deliver Alpha DaRT™, a New Type of Radiotherapy for Skin Cancer Patients
West Cancer Center & Research Institute, is participating in a ground-breaking multi-institutional clinical trial, and has become the second cancer center in the country to treat patients with a novel targeted alpha particle radiation therapy designed to destroy solid tumors. Patients with recurrent or unresectable skin cancers are candidates for this study.
Alpha DaRT™ (Diffusing Alpha-Emitters Radiation Therapy), developed by Alpha Tau Medical Ltd. (“Alpha Tau”) (www.alphatau.com) , is a treatment that harnesses alpha radiation, which is highly lethal to cancer cells, but has been difficult to deliver locally for targeting and destruction of tumors. The limitations of the alpha particles are their short range, making it impractical to deliver with sufficient coverage to destroy tumors. Alpha Tau has invented Alpha DaRT sources that are designed to release alpha-emitting radioisotopes inside the tumor, which diffuse to a more meaningful range in the tumor and can potentially destroy the tumor while sparing adjacent healthy tissues.
Based on results from studies outside the US, published in the distinguished International Journal for Radiation Oncology | Biology | Physics, Alpha DaRT™ was shown to be promising in terms of both safety and efficacy. The treatment was evaluated in 28 patients with squamous cell carcinoma tumors of the skin and head & neck and achieved a >78% complete response rate despite the older (median age = 80.5 years) and heavily pretreated patient population. The treatment showed high safety with minimal local and no systemic toxicity.
According to Noam VanderWalde, MD, MS, Radiation Oncologist, Director of Research for the Department of Radiation Oncology and Principal Investigator of the study at West Cancer Center, “This is a very exciting new technology that allows us to offer patients with cancers that have returned after previous external beam radiation, or those who would require very disfiguring surgeries, a chance at a cure for their skin cancers with good cosmetic outcomes. We are proud to be participating in this study which could help bring this novel treatment to patients in the US. “
Alpha DaRT™ technology provides multiple potential advantages for patients with primary skin cancer from minimal morbidity to superior outcomes, “This is another example of West Cancer Center physicians working with others throughout the Mid-South to care for patients with difficult cancer diagnoses. For patients with complex skin cancers that cannot be treated with surgical excision, Alpha DaRT allows us to collaborate with Dermatologists and Mohs surgeons to provide unparalleled multi-disciplinary care,” said Matthew Ballo, MD, FACR, Director of Radiation Oncology at West Cancer Center.