If you or someone you love is exploring new options for cancer treatment, take heart: hundreds of clinical trials are testing a new class of targeted therapies called radiotheranostics.
These emerging drugs are being studied around the world and offer new possibilities for patients at various stages of cancer care.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to search ClinicalTrials.gov for studies that may be relevant to you. But first, let’s define some key terms and also clear up common myths surrounding cancer trials.
Radiotheranostics (ray-dee-oh-ther-uh-NOS-tiks) are radioactive drugs that can both detect and treat cancer. According to studies like this one, the dual capabilities of theranostics have the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce side effects compared to traditional cancer treatments.
Radiotheranostics combine two key components:
One of the most widely used theranostic isotopes is lutetium-177 (Lu-177). Lu-177–based therapies are now approved for several types of cancers. Current examples include Lutathera® for certain neuroendocrine tumors and Pluvicto® for advanced prostate cancer. Meanwhile, research continues on expanding Lu-177’s use for treating additional cancers.
Clinical trials are only for people who’ve run out of options.
Reality: You don’t have to exhaust every treatment possibility before joining a clinical trial. Many are open to patients at different stages of care, testing new therapies that could improve future treatment options.
It’s difficult and expensive to join a trial.
Reality: It’s free and fairly simple to search for trials (see below), and you and your medical team decide together whether participation is right for you.
My doctor has to find the trials for me.
Reality: You can look for available trials yourself, then discuss promising ones with your oncologist to confirm eligibility and next steps.
ClinicalTrials.gov is the U.S. government’s official database of medical research studies conducted around the world. It includes information about thousands of upcoming and ongoing clinical trials—including many that test radiotheranostic and other radioisotope-based cancer treatments.
Each listing shows who can join, where the study is located, what its purpose is, and how to contact the research team. You don’t need to register or pay to use it—it’s a free public resource.
Let’s say you want to search for clinical trials related to prostate cancer. The steps below show you how to begin.
Go to ClinicalTrials.gov. On the homepage, scroll down to the Focus Your Search box.
In the Condition/disease field, start typing your cancer type. You’ll see suggestions appear automatically—click the one that best matches.
Leave Other terms blank for now.
Leave Intervention/treatment blank for now if you don’t know what to put there. You can always add terms later if you learn a specific keyword.
Leave Location blank for now. You can narrow your search by state or region later if needed.
Just below those filter fields, select Recruiting and not yet recruiting studies. This option shows trials that are currently enrolling or expected to open soon. Note that by selecting All studies your results will also include studies that have been completed.
Click Search.
After you click Search, you’ll see a list of studies that match your criteria.
Each result includes a short title, summary, and study status.
You can also choose how the results are displayed—as a card list, a table, a map, or by topic. Use whichever view makes it easiest for you to scan and compare studies.
At this point, you have various ways to narrow your search results if you’d like.
On the left side of the page, you’ll see a panel with filters—plus a separate scroll bar that reveals more options as you move downward.
We suggest checking the Not yet recruiting box and the Recruiting box.
Tip for first-time searchers: Start simple with just your cancer type. Only add extra keywords and filters after you’ve seen what’s out there. This keeps the process less overwhelming and reduces the chance of accidentally filtering out potential options.
To read more about a specific study, click on the title.
If a study seems promising to you, you’ll want to discuss it with your oncologist. Be sure you keep track of the study for later reference by saving it, downloading it, or using some other method that makes it easy to find such as:
At SHINE, we produce medical-grade isotopes such as lutetium-177 (Lu-177) at our facility in Janesville, Wisconsin. These isotopes are key ingredients used by pharmaceutical and research partners in many radiotheranostic clinical trials under development today.
While SHINE doesn’t conduct or recruit for clinical trials, our isotope production supports the scientists and physicians developing these advanced therapies—and the patients who stand to benefit from them.
Don’t be discouraged if your search doesn’t reveal studies that match your situation. Trials open and close frequently. Check ClinicalTrials.gov regularly—new studies are added and updated all the time.
And remember, every medical breakthrough began with a clinical trial. Start your search today, share this guide with others, and talk with your care team about what you find.
