In silico comparasion of 11 different radioisotopes for palliative treatment of bone metastases

Throughout the years, the palliative treatment of bone metastases using bone seeking radiotracers has been part of the therapeutic resources used in oncology. However, the choice of which bone seeking agent to use is not consensual. Computer simulation is a simple and practical solution to study and to compare a variety of radioisotopes. This study aimed to compare 11 different radioisotopes currently in use or under research. Hence, computational models were used to estimate the percentage of deoxyribonucleic acid damage, the probability of correct DNA repair, and the radiation-induced cellular effects post-irradiation. ²²³Ra alpha particles, ¹⁷⁷Lu beta minus particles, and ¹⁷⁰Tm beta minus particles induced the highest cell death of all investigated particles and radioisotopes. The cell survival fraction measured post-irradiation with beta minus particles emitted by ⁸⁹Sr and ¹⁵³Sm, was higher than ¹⁷⁷Lu beta minus particles and ²²³Ra alpha particles. Findings reported here may prompt future in vitro and in vivo experiments comparing different radionuclides for palliative treatment of bone metastases.