How Advancement in Treatment Offers Hope
- Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, 62, says he has “no evidence of disease” after receiving the innovative drug Pluvicto for his stage 4 prostate cancer.
- Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cancer treatment that specifically treats patients with a type of disease called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
- PSMA is a protein expressed in some prostate cancers that can be targeted with medication. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate and does not respond to hormone therapy.
- Plutvicto is an intravenous radioligand therapy, which works by targeting cancer cells precisely in the body. The medication combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities which can identify the presence of a target or PSMA protein on a patient’s cancer cells and kill them with minimal impact to normal tissues.
- It’s important to remember, that most prostate cancer can be caught with screening exams which include a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a protein-specific antigen (PSA) test.
Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, 62, battled stage 4 prostate cancer from 2018 until recently when he revealed he is no longer showing symptoms. He credits his progress to the innovative Food and Drug Administration-approved drug Pluvicto, an intravenous radioligand therapy designed for certain prostate cancer patients.
This remarkable drug treatment gives prostate cancer patients added hope if they have a type of disease called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) – positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Now with Pluvicto, his perspective has shifted.
“I’ve had two shots of nuclear medicine, and it literally is that, and it’s a targeted medicine that just hunts cancer cells and kills them,” Taylor described on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.
“It’s a 17-day cycle, so you’ve got to do three days before you go to hospital so you don’t have COVID, and then there’s 14 days where you can’t travel, you can’t sleep in the same bed, you’ve got to limit your contact … actually COVID was brilliant training for this,” Taylor said of his treatment regimen to Fox News. He went on to describe himself as “radioactive” amid his treatment which is why he separates himself from others.
“It’s a nuclear medicine … you go into ICU and the nuclear department, and all these nurses come in with screens and gear on, not quite hazmat, and then everything you touch, eat, it all gets thrown away, your clothes you keep in a pile for two weeks so they can de-radiate. You’ve just got to be really conscious of other people and then you feel great after about five days,” he said.
The famous guitarist is grateful for where he is in his cancer journey and the advancements in cancer treatment.
“Five years ago, when I was diagnosed, stage 4, it was ‘You’ve got five years on the clock.’ Now, I’ve got another five years. I’m still in this little bit of, ‘Did this really happen? Did I really dodge a bullet?” the musician added.
Taylor’s Treatment that Gave Him a Fighting Chance
Plutvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan), was approved by the FDA in March 2022. It specifically treats patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) – positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
PSMA is a protein that is expressed in some prostate cancers and can be specifically targeted with medication. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer more specifically means, the cancer has spread beyond the prostate and does not respond to hormone therapy which is aimed at impeding cancer growth that relies on hormones to flourish.
Plutvicto is an intravenous radioligand therapy, which targets cancer cells precisely in the body. The medication combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities which can identify the presence of a target (PSMA) on a patient’s cancer cells and then treat it directly with minimal impact to normal tissues.
“The approval of lutetium is a major step in the development of personalized treatment for advanced prostate cancer,” Dr. David Penson, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told SurvivorNet.
“This agent specifically targets PSMA-positive metastasis and represents the first theranostic agent for use in castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer,” Dr. Penson continued.
In order to use Plutvicto, patients must first be given a PET scan using a special imagine agent that helps better identify cancer cells within the body that are PSMA positive.
“If the patients have PSMA-positive metastatic lesions on PET, then they would be eligible for the therapy. This combination of a (therapy that can deliver radiation to target cells) with an imaging biomarker positivity is a great example of precision medicine or what we call in nuclear medicine, theranostics (therapeutics + diagnostics),” Dr. Ghassan El-Haddad, associate member of the Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology Department of Moffitt Cancer Center explains.
Like most treatments, Plutvicto has side effects. The most common adverse reactions may include:
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Anemia
- Decreased appetite
- Constipation
Helping You Better Understand Your Prostate Cancer Risk
Prostate cancer starts in the walnut-shaped prostate gland, which is located between the rectum and bladder and produces the fluid that nourishes sperm.
WATCH: Prostate cancer screening tests.
Most prostate cancer is caught with screening examinations which include a digital rectal exam (DRE) to check for lumps. The protein-specific antigen (PSA) test is another effective means of screening. This is a simple blood test that screens for prostate cancer. It looks for larger amounts of protein-specific antigen in the blood. An elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer. It could also reflect that your prostate is enlarged which is common or it could signal an infection or inflammation.
Prostate cancer does not always behave the same in every man it impacts. The cancer can be considered “low-risk” and can be slow-growing, and treatment might not be necessary. In other men, the cancer may grow faster or be more aggressive, requiring more immediate treatment. Because of this, there is some debate about screening.
WATCH: When to screen for prostate cancer.
The United States Preventive Services Taskforce recommends men at average risk between the ages of 55-69 years old should talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening. Most doctors agree that men over the age of 70 do not need screening.
SurvivorNet experts suggested that men consider factors like their family history, genes, and age when deciding whether, and when, to screen.
Other warning signs of prostate cancer are:
- Blood in your urine
- Trouble getting an erection
- Pain or burning when you urinate
- Pain in your back, hips, thighs, or other bones
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I have elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
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