Pain caused by bone metastases is often one of the most severe manifestations of cancer, significantly limiting mobility and reducing patients’ quality of life. Today, a modern radionuclide therapy method is available in Kazakhstan, helping to alleviate pain and improve patients’ well-being.
At the Nuclear Medicine Center of the Medical Center Hospital of the President’s Affairs Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, bone metastases are treated using the radiopharmaceutical Samarium-153 Sm Oxabifor. The drug specifically targets metastatic lesions in bone tissue. The primary outcome of the treatment is the reduction or significant relief of pain. For many patients, this means the opportunity to maintain their usual level of activity and improve their quality of life.
An important advantage of this method is that it can be used in combination with other types of anticancer treatment, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. In addition, the treatment is generally well tolerated, associated with a minimal number of serious side effects, and does not require a lengthy recovery period.
Today, the Nuclear Medicine Center of the Medical Center Hospital of the President’s Affairs Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the largest center of its kind in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Thanks to its advanced equipment, radiopharmaceuticals are not only produced there but also used for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
According to Aigul Saduakassova, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Center, the development of radiopharmaceuticals is opening new opportunities in cancer treatment.
"At the end of 2024, radionuclide therapy for bone metastases using Samarium-153 Sm Oxabifor was successfully introduced at our Center. To date, more than 50 patients have already received this treatment. Clinical follow-up data and SPECT/CT control studies have demonstrated positive outcomes, including a reduction in pain severity and a decrease in metastatic lesions in bone tissue. This confirms the effectiveness of the treatment method and its important role in the management of oncology patients, as well as in improving their quality of life," noted Aigul Saduakassova.
Patients themselves also report positive changes.
"I am currently undergoing my third course of Samarium treatment. I would like to note that the entire medical staff saw me arrive for my first course using a walker, then with a cane for the second, and by the third course, I no longer needed any assistance. I have breast cancer with metastases in my bones and spine. When I learned that this treatment had become available in our country, I decided to undergo it so that I would not regret missing the opportunity later. Now, I experience almost no acute pain," shared one patient.
Today, Samarium-153 Sm Oxabifor therapy has become another option for helping patients with advanced forms of cancer. The experience of its use at the Nuclear Medicine Center demonstrates that modern technologies can not only complement primary treatment by enhancing its therapeutic effect, but also significantly improve patients’ quality of life.
