At the Oncidium foundation, we help people around the world access and understand Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT) for cancer care.
Whether your medical team has already mentioned this therapy or you simply want to learn more, we hope this section gives you what you are looking for.
Click on any of the sections below to find out more.
TRT uses a small amount of radioactive medicine designed to seek out cancer cells and deliver radiation right where it's needed, sparing healthy tissue as much as possible.
The most common approach is radiotheranostics, the "see it, treat it" method: a scan first checks whether your cancer carries the target the treatment is designed to find. If it does, the treatment seeks out those cells throughout the body.
The drug contains what is called a ligand, a targeting molecule that acts like a key: it’s designed to find and stick to the right “lock” (the biological target) on the cancerous cell’s surface.
Its role is to guide both diagnosis and treatment to the cancer cells, by identifying what makes these cells different from normal ones.
A diagnostic radioligand tracer is administered by intravenous injection, followed a few hours later by a functional imaging scan.
The scans that are used are PET (positron emission tomography) and SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) scans. They are special types of imaging that use small amounts of radioactive material to show how tissues and tumors are working.
Unlike standard scans such as CT or MRI, which mainly show the body’s structure, these scans can confirm whether the tumor shows high “uptake” (meaning the tracer binds well to the cancer cells); if so, the patient may be considered a suitable candidate for the therapy.
If the scan confirms uptake and that the patient is considered as a suitable candidate for the therapy, the same vector is used again, this time carrying a different radioactive component. Its role is to deliver treatment directly to the cancer cells, helping to destroy them while minimizing exposure to most healthy tissues.
Open a topic below to read more, or download the full guide.
See it, treat it (radiotheranostics). A matching scan confirms the cancer carries the specific target the treatment is designed to find. If it does, the treatment is given by injection and seeks out those cancer cells throughout the body.
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy can be combined with other therapies, for example, with immunotherapy (drugs that help your immune system fight cancer). TRT can make cancer cells more visible to the immune system, helping immunotherapy do its job.
Combinations like these are being studied for melanoma, lung cancer, and prostate cancer in specialist centres.
You may also hear TRT called PRRT (Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy), RLT, radiopharmaceutical or molecular radiotherapy, or by specific names such as Lutetium-177 DOTATATE or Lutetium-177 PSMA.
The field is newer and fast-moving. Different hospitals, countries, and research groups developed their own terms before agreeing on shared language.
Nuclear medicine experts now use Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT) as the common term, and it's the one we use here.
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy is already used to treat some types of cancer.
Learn how effective it is and how it works for each specific cancer.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer that carries the PSMA marker, has spread, and no longer responds to hormone therapy (mCRPC),
Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs)
Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the digestive system and pancreas that carry the somatostatin receptor and cannot be removed with surgery or have spread (GEP-NETs).
Thyroid Cancer
Differentiated thyroid cancer (the papillary and follicular types), treated with radioactive iodine, a related form of TRT.
Skin Cancer
For non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, Rhenium-SCT uses the radioisotope rhenium-188.
With over 950 therapy centers worldwide, this interactive global map is designed to help you find where radionuclide therapies are available. Explore the map to locate specialized centers providing these advanced treatments.
The Oncidium foundation does not endorse, recommend, or officially recognise any facility listed on this map. The Oncidium foundation applies its own criteria when deciding which facilities to include; these identify centres that may offer radioligand therapy and are not an evaluation of quality, safety, or clinical outcomes. Inclusion implies no affiliation or certification, and omission implies nothing negative about a facility.
This map is for general information only and is not medical advice. Listing a centre does not mean a treatment is available: approval status, reimbursement, eligibility, and rules on treating patients vary by country and centre and may change over time. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Verify all details directly with the centre and your treating physician.
Last updated: September 2026
At the Oncidium foundation, we believe clinical trials open the door to tomorrow's cancer therapies.
We provide people living with cancer with the latest information on radiotheranostics and guide them to treatment centers and clinical studies that match their diagnosis.
By connecting patients with these state-of-the-art trials, we help advance new breakthroughs and ensure they can access the very best care options available.
There is growing hope for many other cancer types. While numerous diagnostics and treatment options are still being studied or are in clinical trials, we encourage you to explore our trial finder if you have one of the cancer types listed below.
Discover inspiring stories of people living with cancer and learn about how Targeted Radionuclide Therapy is helping them regain control over their lives.
