Precision Radiation Therapy Could Offer New Hope For Hard-To-Treat Cancers

InnovationHealthcarePrecision Radiation Therapy Could Offer New Hope For Hard-To-Treat CancersByJuergen Eckhardt,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Juergen Eckhardt leads Bayer’s impact investment unit, Leaps by Bayer.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 08:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.There is a growing number of approvals for radionuclide therapy, a class of cancer medicines which deliver radioactive atoms or radionuclides, to tumors deep inside the body with extreme precision.gettyFor patients with hard-to-treat cancers, the hurdle often lies in the location. For a pancreatic tumor situated close to vital organs, or a cancer embedded deep within the brain, drug developers have always faced a critical dilemma – even if a drug is capable of eradicating the tumor, how do you deliver it in a sufficiently high dose without causing irreversible harm?Enter radionuclide therapy, a class of cancer medicines which deliver radioactive atoms or radionuclides, to tumors deep inside the body with extreme precision. This idea originates from the 1940s when doctors began using radioactive iodine as a novel treatment for thyroid cancer due to iodine being preferentially absorbed by the tumor cells.The past 13 years have seen a growing number of regulatory approvals, beginning with Xofigo, a therapy aimed at patients with advanced, treatment-resistant prostate cancer which has spread to the bones. The market for this class of cancer medicines is now rapidly growing and is projected to be worth $10.7 billion by 2030.The development of these treatments has been accelerated by the discovery of various biomarkers, unique to cancer cells, enabling homing molecules to be designed that deliver radionuclides directly to tumors in highly concentrated doses.A recent example is Pluvicto, a drug developed by Novartis for patients with metastatic prostate cance...