Active bone marrow S-values for the low-energy electron emitter terbium-161 compared to S-values for lutetium-177 and yttrium-90

BACKGROUND: Based on theoretical and preclinical results, terbium-161 may be a valid alternative to lutetium-177 and yttrium-90 in radionuclide therapies. The large low-energy electron emission from terbium-161 is a favorable feature in the treatment of disseminated disease, but its impact on the radiosensitive bone marrow needs to be evaluated. Using voxel-based skeletal dosimetry models in which active bone marrow is defined as regions containing stem cells and progenitor cells of the hematopoietic lineage, we generated S-values (absorbed dose per decay) for terbium-161 and evaluated its distribution-dependence in bone marrow cavities. METHODS: S-values in the active bone marrow were calculated for terbium-161, lutetium-177, and yttrium-90 irradiation using two (male/female) image-based bone marrow dosimetry models. The radionuclides were distributed to one of the three structures that define the spongiosa bone region in the skeletal models: (i) active bone marrow, (ii) inactive bone marrow, or (iii) surface or whole volume of the trabecular bone. Decay data from ICRP 107 were combined with specific absorbed fractions to calculate S-values for 13 skeletal sites. To increase the utility, the skeletal site-specific S-values were averaged to produce whole-body average S-values and spongiosa average S-values. RESULTS: For yttrium-90, the high-energy β particles irradiate the active marrow regardless of the source compartment, consistently generating the highest S-values (65–90% higher). Between terbium-161 and lutetium-177, the largest differences in S-values were with an active marrow source (50%), such as self-irradiation, due to the contribution of the short-ranged conversion and Auger electrons from terbium-161. Their influence decreased as the source moved to inactive marrow or the surface or volume of the trabecular bone, reducing the S-values and the differences between terbium-161 and lutetium-177 (15–35%). CONCLUSION: The S-values of terbium-161 for active bone marrow and, consequently, the bone marrow toxicity profile were more dependent on the radionuclide distribution within the bone marrow cavity than the S-values of lutetium-177 and yttrium-90. This effect was attributed to the considerable low-energy electron emission of terbium-161. Therefore, it will be critical to investigate the bone marrow distribution of a particular radiopharmaceutical for accurate estimation of the active bone marrow dose. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40658-022-00495-7.