Targeted Radiation For Advanced Prostate Cancer
- Pluvicto (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan) is a radioligand therapy that targets the PSMA protein on prostate cancer cells, delivering systemic radiation that minimizes harm to healthy tissue. It is an innovative and promising option for some men with advanced prostate cancer.
- Eligibility requires PSMA-positive disease, confirmed by a specialized PET scan. The treatment approach is intended for patients whose cancer no longer responds to hormone therapy or chemotherapy.
- Unlike conventional radiation therapy administered via machines and focused beams, Pluvicto is delivered intravenously and seeks out cancer cells internally.
- Dr. Vivek Narayan, a medical oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania, explains that patients with “more PSMA expression as measured by this PET scan” are more likely to get a “good response to that Pluvicto medicine as compared to someone who has maybe a lower level of that expression.”
- Evidence supports Pluvicto’s effectiveness, showing it may extend survival and relieve symptoms, with manageable side effects like fatigue and low blood counts.
- For patients with metastatic prostate cancer who have exhausted initial or first-line treatments like hormone therapy (also called androgen deprivation therapy or ADT) and chemotherapy, a promising option is emerging: radioligand therapy, specifically a drug known as Pluvicto (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan).
- Pluvicto (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan) offers a targeted treatment option for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. It works by homing in on PSMA, a protein found on prostate cancer cells, and delivering focused radiation that spares surrounding healthy tissue.
“So once the standard androgen deprivation therapies are no longer effective, in some cases, even after medicines like chemotherapy have been used and are no longer effective, these radioligand therapies like Pluvicto can be used to treat prostate cancer and can be very effective,” Dr. Vivek Narayan, GU medical oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tells SurvivorNet.
Read More- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Lowered blood cell counts
How Does Pluvicto Work?
Pluvicto (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan) precisely delivers a small dose of radiation directly to cancerous cells — no matter where they are in the body. “They’re medicines that go and target a protein in prostate cancer cells… it actually emits a small amount of radiation,” says Dr. Narayan.“I like to describe it… as a form of radiation therapy… [but] this is a systemic delivery of radiation therapy that’s really geared to treating prostate cancer where it may be in the body,” he adds.
Unlike conventional radiation therapy administered via machines and focused beams, Pluvicto is delivered intravenously and seeks out cancer cells internally.
Who Can Get Pluvicto?
Before receiving Pluvicto, also known as lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan, patients must undergo a PSMA PET scan — a specialized imaging test that identifies the presence and extent of PSMA protein expression. This scan helps determine whether the patient is a strong candidate for the therapy.
“The degree or amount of that PSMA expression does seem to have some correlation with how well Pluvicto … may work,” Dr. Narayan explains. “If someone has a lot more PSMA expression … then we would predict a patient who is more likely to get a good response.”
Pluvicto is typically not administered by medical oncologists or urologists alone. Instead, it’s given by specialists trained in handling radioactive therapies.
“It’s often done either by a nuclear medicine specialist … or in some cases by radiation oncologists,” Dr. Narayan notes, emphasizing “someone with that medical expertise is needed to administer this sort of medicine.”
For patients whose cancer no longer responds to traditional therapies, Pluvicto offers hope. With its ability to deliver targeted radiation systemically, this innovative treatment expands options and may improve outcomes for those facing advanced prostate cancer.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- Should I undergo a PSMA-PET scan?
- Am I a candidate for Pluvicto (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan)?
- How will I be monitored while taking Pluvicto
- What side effects should I be aware of?
Content independently created by SurvivorNet with support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
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