Advancing cancer care with Lutetium-177 therapy

Lutetium therapy allows prostate cancer to be successfully controlled even in its advanced stages, when hormone therapy and chemotherapy are no longer effective. Booking Health specialists explain what Lutetium-177 cancer treatment is, how it works, who it is for, and what results you can expect.

The essence of the method

Lutetium-177 is used for radiotargeted therapy for prostate cancer. This is a type of systemic radiation therapy in which a radioactive substance is injected into the patient’s body intravenously. However, the radionuclide does not irradiate the entire body, but finds cancer cells and selectively accumulates in them.

What is the reason for such selectivity in Lutetium-177 therapy? It is provided by ligands: molecules that are able to bind to PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen). Increased amounts of this protein are found only in cancer cells. It is absent in healthy tissues or its concentration is hundreds or thousands of times lower than in tumors.

As a result, all of the radiopharmaceutical injected into the vein is absorbed by the cancer cells. Normal tissues are practically not affected during PSMA therapy. 

After accumulation in the tumor and its metastases, Lutetium-177 attacks them with radiation. Its radiation is very short, it spreads only 1 mm. Therefore, the radionuclide does not damage the tissues located near the tumor.

Who is eligible for Lutetium treatment

Lutetium-177 is used in the prostate cancer treatment when metastases are detected, in the absence of sensitivity to hormonal therapy (castration-resistant cancer), as well as in the absence of response to chemotherapy, in the presence of contraindications to chemotherapy or refusal of it due to poor tolerance.

Thus, PSMA therapy is used in the most severe situations: when prostate cancer has progressed and standard therapies do not allow to control its development. Despite these circumstances, Lutetium-177 therapy provides excellent results. Most patients show a clinical and biochemical response to treatment.

What happens during the treatment

After arriving at the Lutetium therapy clinic, the person undergoes diagnostics. This includes routine clinical tests and a PSMA-PET to detect metastases and assess their size, as well as to check whether the tumor can accumulate radionuclide.

After the examination, treatment begins, which consists of a single intravenous injection of a radiopharmaceutical. The person then spends three days in hospital. He is discharged after the radionuclide is eliminated from the body.

The course of treatment is repeated every 4-8 weeks. After every two cycles, a PSMA-PET is performed to evaluate the results. Therapy can be continued as long as it works and does not cause severe toxic reactions.

What about side effects?

Side effects do occur, but in general PSMA therapy is better tolerated and causes fewer severe toxic reactions than most other cancer treatments. Most commonly, Lutetium-177 causes dry mouth. It can also decrease the number of blood cells and rarely impairs kidney function.

Severe toxic reactions are almost never reported. To minimize risks during the administration of Lutetium-177, doctors cool the patient’s salivary glands and administer infusion therapy with crystalloid solutions to protect the kidneys.

The results are

PSMA therapy results in smaller tumors, lower PSA blood levels, slower cancer progression, longer life expectancy, and improved quality of life. In a small percentage of patients, all tumors disappear.

If you want to find out the PSMA cost or undergo treatment abroad, visit the Booking Health website. Here you can find the current prices, choose a clinic and make an appointment for therapy on convenient dates. The experts of Booking Health will help you to find a suitable medical center and organize your trip.