Abstract
There is a clinically unmet need for effective treatments for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), as it remains the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Herein, we demonstrate a promising strategy using a tumor-targeting alkylphosphocholine (NM600) for targeted radionuclide therapy of TNBC. Methods: NM600 was radiolabeled with (86)Y for PET imaging and (177)Lu for targeted radionuclide therapy. (86)Y-NM600 PET imaging was performed on female BALB/C mice bearing syngeneic 4T07 (nonmetastatic) and 4T1 (metastatic) TNBC tumor grafts (n = 3-5). Quantitative data derived from a PET-image region-of-interest analysis, which was corroborated by ex vivo biodistribution, were used to estimate the dosimetry of (177)Lu-NM600 treatments. Weight measurement, complete blood counts, and histopathology analysis were performed to determine (177)Lu-NM600 toxicity in naïve BALB/C mice administered 9.25 or 18.5 MBq. Groups of mice bearing 4T07 or 4T1 grafts (n = 5-6) received excipient or 9.25 or 18.5 MBq of (177)Lu-NM600 as a single or fractionated schedule, and tumor growth and overall survival were monitored. Results: Excellent tumor targeting and rapid normal-tissue clearance of (86)Y-NM600 were noted in both 4T07 and 4T1 murine models. Ex vivo biodistribution corroborated the accuracy of the PET data and validated (86)Y-NM600 as a surrogate for (177)Lu-NM600. (177)Lu-NM600 dosimetry showed absorbed doses of 2.04 ± 0.32 and 1.68 ± 0.06 Gy/MBq to 4T07 and 4T1 tumors, respectively, which were larger than those delivered to liver (1.28 ± 0.09 Gy/MBq) and to bone marrow (0.31 ± 0.05 Gy/MBq). The (177)Lu-NM600 injected activities used for treatment were well tolerated and resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition and prolonged overall survival in both tested TNBC models. A complete response was attained in 60% of treated mice bearing 4T07 grafts. Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest that (177)Lu-NM600 targeted radionuclide therapy has potential for TNBC and merits further exploration in a clinical setting.