Method for enhancing target specificity of antibody localization and clearance of non-target diagnostic and therapeutic principles

A method of tumor or infectious lesion therapy, comprising injecting a human subject having a tumor or infectious lesion, parenterally, with a therapeutic amount of primary antibody or antibody fragment specific against a marker produced by or associated with said tumor or lesion and labeled with a therapeutically effective radionuclide, boron addend, drug, toxin or a combination thereof;

• after a time sufficient to maximize selective uptake of the labeled primary antibody or antibody fragment by said tumor or lesion, injecting the subject parenterally with a second antibody or antibody fragment specific against said primary antibody or antibody fragment, or against said addend, drug or toxin, a carrier therefor or a chelating agent for said radionuclide, in an amount sufficient to decrease the level of circulating labeled primary antibody or antibody fragment by 10-85% within 2-72 hours;
• and, in the case of a boron-labeled primary antibody or antibody fragment, directing a beam of thermal neutrons at the site or sites of selective uptake of said labeled antibody or antibody fragment.

In a method for determining the location of a tumor which produces or is associated with a cytoplasmic, intracellular or cell-surface marker substance, which comprises injecting a human subject parenterally with a marker-specific antibody or antibody fragment labeled with a pharmacologically inert radioisotope capable of detection using a photoscanning device, or with a paramagnetic conjugate capable of detection with a magnetic resonance detector, and subsequently scanning with said device or detector to detect and locate the site or sites of uptake of said labeled antibody or antibody fragment by said tumor,

• the improvement comprising injecting said subject parenterally, at a time after injection of the marker-specific antibody or fragment sufficient to permit maximum selective uptake thereof by said tumor, and prior to scanning, with a second, non-labeled antibody or antibody fragment specific against said marker-specific antibody or fragment, in an amount sufficient to increase the localization ratio by at least about 20% within 2-72 hours.

A method of tumor or infectious lesion therapy, comprising injecting a human subject having a tumor or infectious lesion, parenterally, with a therapeutic amount of a primary antibody or antibody fragment specific against a marker produced by or associated with said tumor or lesion and labeled with a therapeutically effective radionuclide, boron addend, drug, toxin or a combination thereof;

• after a time sufficient to maximize selective uptake of the labeled primary antibody or antibody fragment by said tumor or lesion, injecting the subject parenterally with a second antibody or antibody fragment specific against said primary antibody or antibody fragment, or against said addend, drug or toxin, a carrier therefor or a chelating agent for said radionuclide, in an amount sufficient to increase the therapeutic index by at least about 10%;
• and, in the case of a boron-labeled primary antibody or antibody fragment, directing a beam of thermal neutrons at the site or sites of selective uptake of said labeled antibody or antibody fragment.