Dr. Morris on Mechanism of Action for Radium-223

Michael Morris, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the mechanism of action for radium-223 dichloride as a treatment for patients with prostate cancer.

The main idea behind a bone-targeting radiopharmaceutical such as radium-223, Morris explains, is that it targets the primary site of metastatic disease. Radium-223 delivers alpha-emitting radiation therapy to the bone, which is where much of prostate cancer localizes to.

Radium-223 has unique characteristics that minimize toxicity and maximizes treatment effect, Morris explains.