The development and use of radiolabeled antitumor antibodies.

The use of radioactive tumor-localizing antibodies is developed historically, starting with the demonstration that antibodies can be radioiodinated without destroying antibody activity. Then, antibodies against normal organs were shown to contain antibodies which localize in the normal organ. Subsequently, antibodies capable of localizing in tumors were demonstrated, and these localized well enough to permit their use diagnostically by scanning for radioactivity and their use therapeutically by localizing sufficient radioiodine. Various relevant problems are discussed.