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Radionuclide Therapy
What is Lu-177 PSMA Therapy?
An emerging targeted treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer. it is currently used when the disease has metastasised and when other treatment options are poorly tolerated or have failed
How does Lu-177 PSMA work?
A form of radionuclide treatment that targets prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA). PSMA is a cell surface membrane protein which is overexpressed in 90 to 95% of prostate cancer cells whilst not expressed in most of the normal tissues. By targeting PSMA with radioactive nuclides, PSMA expressing prostate cancer cells can be selectively targeted and neutralized whilst minimizing the effects on normal tissue
Pretreatment PSMA PET/CT shows intensely PSMA-avid abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes.
SPECT-CT performed 24 hours post 177Lu-PSMA treatment shows good tracer localization within the PSMA-avid abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes.
SPECT-CT performed 24 hours post administration of 2nd cycle of 177Lu-PSMA shows good tracer localization within the residual abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes. These lymph nodes are smaller and less PSMA-avid in keeping with a good treatment response.
Is this treatment safe?
As most of the normal tissues do not express PSMA, the side effects are minimized. During treatment, some patients may experience nausea or vomiting. Patients may also experience fatigue and flare of symptoms (e.g. bone pain) typically within a week following treatment. Following a few cycles of treatment, some patients may experience some mouth dryness due to presence of PSMA expression in the salivary glands. Patients with widespread bone disease may also experience a reduction in blood counts following treatment.
When should I consider this Therapy?
Currently, this treatment is offered to patients with metastatic prostate cancer that is not responsive to conventional treatment, patients who are not fit to undergo hormonal treatment or chemotherapy due to concurrent cardiac or kidney illnesses or patients who are unable to tolerate the side effects of conventional therapy. Patients who are interested to find out more about the treatment can call us at our hotline 6708 7888 to make an appointment to see our doctor.
