Alpha DaRT™ Clinical Trial

Alpha DaRT™ Clinical Trial

The Bassett Cancer Institute in Cooperstown, NY is serving as a clinical trial site for a multicenter pivotal trial of the Alpha DaRT™, a breakthrough investigational cancer treatment that targets solid tumors. Bassett is the first site to achieve New York State Department of Health regulatory approval and it is the only site statewide inside this trial outside New York City to date.

Alpha DaRT™ has great potential to improve outcomes for people with certain forms of cancer. Bassett Healthcare Network is proud to help advance the use of this therapy as well as offer it to our patients and neighbors across the state and region.

What is Alpha DaRT™?

While local radiation therapy has been a mainstay of cancer therapy for years, it has been mostly limited to modalities using beta or gamma emissions. Alpha DaRT™ (Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy) is the first localized anticancer therapy which is designed to leverage the specific therapeutic properties of alpha particles to treat solid tumors.

How Does an Alpha DaRT™ Treatment Work?

Alpha DaRT™ is a form of radiation therapy whereby thin materials called sources are inserted into a tumor. Material that emits alpha radiation is fixed to the surface of these sources. This material spreads into the tumor as it releases its radiation energy. These sources are removed from the patient’s body after the dose of radiation has largely been delivered. There is minimal radioactive exposure and no need for hospitalization.

Difference Between Alpha DaRT™ and Other Treatments

Alpha DaRT™ technology has two advantages over other forms of local radiation therapy.

First, due to the inherent limited range of alpha particles, the Alpha DaRT™ technology, when directly inserted into a solid tumor, has the potential to kill cancerous cells with localized precision without damaging surrounding healthy tissues.

Second, alpha particles are a high energy form of radiation which deliver more damage to cancer cells than some other radiation therapies. This may increase this therapy’s potential effectiveness against persistent tumors.

Alpha DaRT™ Clinical Trial at Bassett Medical Center

Administering this therapy to superficial tumors is typically a quick, outpatient procedure, involving local anesthesia. Practitioners insert the sources with the alpha particle source using a disposable applicator.

Patients return about two weeks later, after the radiation dose has been largely delivered, and have the sources removed. This is also typically an outpatient procedure.

Our team will collaborate with your primary practitioner to make the follow-up process as smooth as possible.

Contact Our Team About Alpha DaRT™

Please call our specialists at 1-877-547-1750, or email us at cancerclinicaltrials@bassett.org to learn more about this treatment. You may also visit the Alpha DaRT™ home page for more information.