Pluvicto Is Offering Hope In Metastatic Prostate Cancer
- Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan), a type of targeted cancer therapy called radioligand therapy, has been found to slow down the progression of metastatic prostate cancer when combined with hormone therapy.
- Pluvicto is a new form of treatment created to combat advanced prostate cancer by delivering radiation directly to cancer cells. This drug targets prostate cancer cells by binding to PSMA, a protein mainly present within these cells, thereby minimizing any harm to other, normal tissues.
- Pluvicto was shown to slow the progression of a specific type of prostate cancer, suggesting the potential for use earlier in the treatment process.
- Men with advanced prostate cancer should speak to their doctors about the PSMA-PET CT scan and its role in determining the treatment path.
The uplifting news, shared Monday, included an interim analysis from a Phase III study of the PSMA [prostate-specific membrane antigen]-targeted radioligand therapy Pluvicto, which when combined with hormone therapy, dramatically improved survival compared to hormone therapy alone for those battling metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).
Read More“The PSA test gives us a lot of information, but we actually have really exciting new imaging that can find small spots of tumor much earlier than what we could historically — and this is called PSMA-PET CT scan,” Dr. Stephen Freedland, urologist at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, tells SurvivorNet about how treatment choices are made.
“It’s becoming relatively routine, certainly in patients who failed surgery or radiation. But even now at newly diagnosed patients, we’re using it relatively routinely. And the beauty is we can find small spots of tumor much earlier and target our treatments to those spots. We could radiate those spots [and] we know earlier which patients we need to add hormonal therapy to.
“Time will tell for sure,” Dr. Freedland adds. “But it really seems like it’s making a big difference in the outcomes of our patients.”
What Did The Data Show?
The PSMAddition study enrolled 1,144 patients with PSMA-positive metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who had received very little or no treatment previously. Participants were randomized to receive standard-of-care hormone therapy either with or without Pluvicto.
A statistical analysis ultimately revealed that Pluvicto, along with hormone therapy, led to a significant and “clinically meaningful improvement” on progression-free survival compared to hormone therapy alone.
Only a short summary of the trial results were offered by Novartis, however, the company stated that full details would be presented at an upcoming medical conference. The company also mentioned it is working on getting regulatory approval for broader use of the treatment later this year.
What is Pluvicto?
Pluvicto is part of a newer class of targeted cancer therapies called radioligand therapies (RLTs). It delivers a small but powerful dose of radiation directly to prostate cancer cells that express a protein known as PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen). This protein is found on most prostate cancer cells but not on normal tissues — making it a valuable target for treatment.
This treatment is now approved for men with mCRPC — which means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate and is no longer responding to hormone therapy — who have already been treated with one ARPI (like abiraterone or enzalutamide) and who are not yet ready for chemotherapy.
For many men and their families, this offers a new option at a critical point in the treatment journey.
How Does Pluvicto Work?
Pluvicto is designed to seek out and bind to cancer cells that express PSMA. Once attached, it delivers a small, targeted dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells — killing them while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
This approach, sometimes called a “theranostic” (therapy + diagnostic), uses the power of precision medicine to both detect and treat cancer in a personalized way.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- What are the potential benefits of Pluvicto for my specific case?
- How does the PSMA PET scan help determine if Pluvicto is right for me?
- How is Pluvicto administered?
- Will I need to stay in the hospital overnight for treatment?
- What precautions should I take to reduce radiation exposure to myself and others following treatment?
- How will my progress be monitored during and after treatment?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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