Further Reading — Chapter 27

Textbooks

• Cherry, S. R., Sorenson, J. A., and Phelps, M. E. Physics in Nuclear Medicine, 4th ed. (Elsevier Saunders, 2012). The definitive textbook on the physics underlying all nuclear medicine modalities. Covers detector physics, image reconstruction, SPECT, PET, and dosimetry with rigorous mathematical treatment. Essential reference for anyone working in the field.

• Bushberg, J. T., Seibert, J. A., Leidholdt, E. M., and Boone, J. M. The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, 4th ed. (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2021). Comprehensive medical physics text with excellent chapters on nuclear medicine, PET/CT, and radiation therapy physics. More clinically oriented than Cherry et al.

• Podgorsak, E. B. Radiation Physics for Medical Physicists, 3rd ed. (Springer, 2016). Strong treatment of radiation interactions with matter (connecting to Chapter 16), charged-particle therapy, and brachytherapy physics. The Bragg peak physics is presented with full derivations.

• Sgouros, G., Bodei, L., McDevitt, M. R., and Nedrow, J. R. "Radiopharmaceutical therapy in cancer: clinical advances and challenges," Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 19:589–608 (2020). Excellent review of the current state of targeted radionuclide therapy, including theranostics, with discussion of both beta and alpha emitters.

Landmark Clinical Trials

• Strosberg, J., et al. "Phase 3 trial of ${}^{177}\text{Lu}$-DOTATATE for midgut neuroendocrine tumors," New England Journal of Medicine 376:125–135 (2017). The NETTER-1 trial that led to FDA approval of Lutathera. Clear demonstration of targeted radionuclide therapy's clinical efficacy.

• Sartor, O., et al. "${}^{177}\text{Lu}$-PSMA-617 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer," New England Journal of Medicine 385:1091–1103 (2021). The VISION trial that led to FDA approval of Pluvicto. Landmark theranostic trial.

• Parker, C., et al. "Alpha emitter radium-223 and survival in metastatic prostate cancer," New England Journal of Medicine 369:213–223 (2013). The ALSYMPCA trial — first approved targeted alpha therapy.

Historical and Review Articles

• Hertz, S. and Roberts, A. "Radioactive iodine in the study of thyroid physiology," JAMA 131:81–86 (1946). The birth of targeted radionuclide therapy — one of the most consequential papers in nuclear medicine.

• de Hevesy, G. "The absorption and translocation of lead by plants," Biochemical Journal 17:439–445 (1923). The original tracer experiment, using ${}^{212}\text{Pb}$ to track lead uptake in plants. De Hevesy received the 1943 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the radiotracer principle.

• Kratochwil, C., et al. "${}^{225}\text{Ac}$-PSMA-617 for PSMA-targeted $\alpha$-radiation therapy of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer," Journal of Nuclear Medicine 57:1941–1944 (2016). Early compassionate-use data demonstrating dramatic responses to targeted alpha therapy.

• Herrmann, K., et al. "Radiotheranostics: a roadmap for future development," Lancet Oncology 21:e146–e156 (2020). Comprehensive roadmap for the theranostic field, covering clinical, regulatory, and supply-chain challenges.

Proton and Heavy-Ion Therapy

• Newhauser, W. D. and Zhang, R. "The physics of proton therapy," Physics in Medicine and Biology 60:R155–R209 (2015). Thorough review of proton therapy physics, from beam production through treatment planning to clinical outcomes.

• Schardt, D., Elsasser, T., and Schulz-Ertner, D. "Heavy-ion tumor therapy: Physical and radiobiological benefits," Reviews of Modern Physics 82:383–425 (2010). Comprehensive review in a physics journal — connects the nuclear and atomic physics to the clinical application with full mathematical treatment.

• Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) — https://www.ptcog.ch. Maintains up-to-date statistics on proton and carbon ion therapy facilities worldwide, including patient numbers and clinical outcomes.

Dosimetry

• Bolch, W. E., et al. "MIRD pamphlet No. 21: A generalized schema for radiopharmaceutical dosimetry," Journal of Nuclear Medicine 50:477–484 (2009). The modern MIRD formalism — the foundation of all internal dosimetry calculations in nuclear medicine.

• Dewaraja, Y. K., et al. "MIRD pamphlet No. 23: Quantitative SPECT for patient-specific 3-dimensional dosimetry in internal radionuclide therapy," Journal of Nuclear Medicine 53:1310–1325 (2012). How SPECT imaging enables patient-specific dosimetry for ${}^{177}\text{Lu}$ and ${}^{131}\text{I}$ therapy.

Supply and Production

• IAEA. Non-HEU Production Technologies for Molybdenum-99 and Technetium-99m, Nuclear Energy Series No. NF-T-5.4 (IAEA, 2013). Comprehensive review of ${}^{99}\text{Mo}$ production methods and the global supply chain challenges. Available free from the IAEA website.

• Robertson, A. K. H., et al. "Development of ${}^{225}\text{Ac}$ radiopharmaceuticals: TRIUMF perspectives and experiences," Current Radiopharmaceuticals 11:156–172 (2018). Discussion of accelerator-based actinium-225 production — a critical bottleneck for targeted alpha therapy.

Online Resources

• IAEA Nuclear Data Services — https://www-nds.iaea.org. Decay data, cross sections, and nuclear structure data for all medically relevant radionuclides.

• ICRP Publication 107 — Nuclear Decay Data for Dosimetric Calculations (2008). The standard reference for nuclear decay data used in medical dosimetry. Tabulates energies, yields, and absorbed fractions for all emissions of dosimetrically important radionuclides.

• SNMMI (Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging) — https://www.snmmi.org. Professional society with educational resources, clinical guidelines, and the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.