52Fe for additional marrow ablation before bone marrow transplantation.

The effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for malignant blood diseases remains limited by the inability of the preparative regimen to eliminate the disease without causing toxicity to normal organs. We have used 52Fe to deliver radiotherapy selectively to the BM. Fourteen patients with hematologic malignancies received 52Fe before a conventional BMT conditioning regimen. The median 52Fe dose was 58 mCi (range, 32 to 85 mCi). As evaluated by quantitative scanning, the median percentage of 52Fe taken up by the BM was 82% (range, 36% to 90%). This resulted in a median radiation-absorbed dose to the BM of 632 rad (range, 151 to 1,144 rad). The median uptake of 52Fe by the liver was 18% (range, 10% to 64%) and the median radiation-absorbed dose to the liver was 239 rad (range, 82 to 526 rad). The median whole body radiation-absorbed dose was 46 rad (range, 22 to 68 rad). No untoward effects were noted after the injections of 52Fe. The patients recovered hematopoiesis without toxicity in excess of that expected with conventional conditioning alone. The median follow-up was 8 months and three patients have relapsed. 52Fe should provide a way to boost the radiation dose to marrow-based diseases before marrow transplantation without increasing toxicity.