New cancer treatments are being developed using the radioisotope lutetium-177 (Lu-a77), but production will need to be scaled up and the threat of potential shortages dealt with alongside continued investment in new irradiation facilities.

In a joint report in the European Journal for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the Netherlands Cancer Institute and NRG say the use of Lu-177 is increasing in several current and new radionuclide therapies, but there are concerns that its worldwide availability may not be sufficient in the long term. This warrants an evaluation of its use and production.

NRG operates the high flux reactor (HFR) at Petten in the Netherlands and is the world’s largest producer of medical isotopes. NRG is already producing Lu-177 at the HFR and in February delivered Lu-177 for the first time to an academic hospital and two pharmaceutical organisations, with plans to increase deliveries and enable further research into use of the isotope.