Radium-223 in Prostate Cancer REPLY

To the Editor: In their editorial on the use of radium-223 for the treatment of bone metastases in prostate cancer, Vapiwala and Glatstein (July 18 issue)(1) provide an overview of the benefits of alpha-emitting radioisotopes. They focus on the results reported in the same issue of the Journal by Parker et al.,(2) who describe the association between the use of radium-223 dichloride and an observed increase in survival, as compared with placebo. In both the article and the editorial, the authors suggest that current radiopharmaceutical agents for bone pain palliation do not prolong survival, with the editorialists stating that the ...