Combining targeted radioactive medicines with external beam radiation
Combination Radiopharmaceutical Therapy and External Beam Radiotherapy
This approach gives a targeted radioactive drug together with external beam radiation to treat people with advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer who are unlikely to respond to radioiodine alone.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167469 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive an injected radiopharmaceutical that seeks out thyroid cancer cells along with focused external beam radiation directed at tumor sites. Imaging and specialized dosimetry software will be used to plan and personalize the radiation doses to protect normal organs. This is an early-phase (phase I) effort focused on determining safe dose combinations and monitoring side effects. Johns Hopkins will deliver the treatments while a company provides the planning tools to combine the two radiation-based therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with differentiated (thyroid) cancer that has spread or recurred and who are not expected to be effectively treated with radioiodine alone.
Not a fit: People with cancers other than thyroid cancer, tumors that do not take up the radiopharmaceutical, or those with medical conditions making radiation unsafe are unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could improve control of widespread thyroid cancer while limiting harm to healthy tissues by tailoring radiation doses.
How similar studies have performed: Radiopharmaceutical therapy like radioiodine has a proven track record in thyroid cancer, but combining it with external beam radiation is a newer, early-stage approach under clinical testing.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hobbs, Robert Francois — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Hobbs, Robert Francois
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.