New hope for advanced nasopharyngeal cancer: targeted radiation therapy under study

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * a histologically confirmed diagnosis of NPC * metastatic NPC that has failed two or more lines of therapy or exhausted standard therapy * an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 * age 21-75 years, a life expectancy of more than 3 months * no prior use of radionuclide therapy * no prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow * less than 50% of bone marrow involved on 68Ga-DOTATATE scan * Krenning score ≥ 3 and at least 75% concordance between 68Ga-DOTATATE scan and 18F-FDG PET scan * at least 1 bidimensionally measurable (2 cm) site of disease. * A wash-out period of at least 3 weeks from the last dose of prior chemotherapy is required before the administration of the first dose of 177Lu-DOTATATE. * adequate hematologic, renal, and liver function using standard laboratory measurements * no history of other malignancy, except treated basal cell and squamous cell skin carcinomas Exclusion Criteria: * Serum creatinine \>120 μmol/L or 1.2 mg/dL, or a measured creatinine clearance (or measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using plasma clearance methods, not gamma camera-based) of \<50 mL/min. * Hb concentration \<5.0 mmol/L (\<8.0 g/dL); WBC \<3x10\^9/L (3000/mm3); platelets \<75x10\^9/L (75x10\^3/mm3). * Total bilirubin \>3 x ULN. * Serum albumin \<3.0 g/dL unless prothrombin time is within the normal range. * Pregnancy (see protocol Appendix 6). * For female patients of childbearing potential (defined as \< 2 years after last menstruation and not surgically sterile) and male patients, who are not surgically sterile or with female partners of childbearing potential: absence of effective, non-hormonal means of contraception (intrauterine contraceptive device, barrier method of contraception in conjunction with spermicidal gel) as defined in Appendix 6. * Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) at any time prior to enrolment in the study. * Targeted surgery, radiotherapy (external beam), chemotherapy, embolization, interferons, mTOR-inhibitors or other investigational therapy within 3 weeks prior to enrolment in the study. * Known brain metastases, unless these metastases have been treated and stabilized for at least 24 weeks, prior to enrolment in the study. Patients with a history of brain metastases should have a head CT/MRI to document stable disease prior to enrolment in the study. * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure (NYHA II, III, IV). * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus as defined by a fasting blood glucose \>2 ULN. * Any patient receiving treatment with short or long acting somatostatin analogs. * Patients with any other significant medical, psychiatric, or surgical condition, currently uncontrolled by treatment, which may interfere with completion of the study. * Urinary incontinence. * Other known co-existing malignancies except non-melanoma skin cancer and carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix, unless definitively treated and proven no evidence of recurrence for 5 years. * Patients who have not provided a signed an informed consent form to participate in the study, obtained prior to the start of any protocol related activities. * Patients who are unable to comply with relevant contact precautions post Lutetium therapy. * Patients with a synchronous local nasopharyngeal recurrence, with prior high-dose irradiation to the primary tumour. * Patients with active Hepatitis B (HBsAg positive) or Hepatitis C (HCV Ab positive) infection will be excluded. * Patients with known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) will be excluded.