Radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) has been approved as an intravenous radiotherapy for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who have multiple osseous (bone) metastases. Most often, it is used in men who have too many metastases to treat with spot radiation.
Xofigo works by mimicking calcium that is attracted to bones. To be successful the drug must successfully circulate through out the body to be able to find all of the metastases. A recent study evaluated the ability of the intravenous introduction of the Xofigo to properly circulate through the body.
The researchers relied on the fact that Xofigo in addition to the therapeutic alpha radiation also generates photons that can be imaged with a conventional gamma camera. By using a gamma camera they were able to e