Radionuclide therapy is uses tiny molecules to treat cancer. These molecules enter the body where they emit radiation that travels tiny distances to attack and control cancerous cells. In the case of prostate cancer, the radionuclide is Lutetium-177 (Lu for short) and it is bound to another protein called PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen), which attaches to aggressive prostate cancer cells throughout the body.
Most patients seeking Lu-PSMA therapy are those with metastatic (spread throughout the body) prostate cancer that has continued to spread despite traditional chemotherapies. The cancer is often seen throughout the bony skeleton where it causes severe debilitating pain.
Before considering whether Lu-PSMA therapy is suitable for any patient, we first have the patient undergo a PET-CT scan using the same PSMA protein, which gives us a “roadmap” of where the cancer has spread. The therapy is then given as a straightforward injection over minutes and is generally well-tolerated. The patient is scanned after the therapy to ensure that the dose has reached the cancer cells where it can act to control the cancer. Over the long term, we use the same type of PET-CT scan to see how effective the LuPSMA therapy has been and to plan further treatments.
Qscan offers this effective & emerging therapy to patients in Brisbane and the Gold Coast with the help of our dedicated expert radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists, who are committed to carefully considering options for radionuclide therapy by working closely with the patient’s oncologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists.
Author: Dr Dalveer Singh