Even stage 4 prostate cancer can be controlled if treated in a country with high medical standards. Lutetium-177 targeted therapy has been successfully used in Germany for several years. Physicians use PSMA-targeting ligands to deliver the radioactive material directly to the cancer cells. The drug is administered intravenously, after which it accumulates only in tumor tissue and irradiates it. If hormone therapy and chemotherapy are no longer effective, you can start the Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy in Germany. You can check the information about Lutetium-177 treatment centers and book your diagnostics and treatment on the Booking Health website.
The principle of the treatment method
Physicians inject a radiopharmaceutical into the patient’s body that targets PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen). This protein is almost absent in normal tissue, as it is present in minimal amounts in healthy prostate tissue, but its very high expression is observed in cancer cells. They contain thousands of times more PSMA than normal prostate cells. Only 5% of malignant prostate tumors do not have elevated PSMA expression, making Lutetium-177 treatment suitable for most patients.
PSMA expression levels depend on Gleason score indicators. The more aggressive the tumor, the more the radionuclide accumulates in the tumor. In addition, PSMA levels are elevated in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Patients with severe, advanced cancer are therefore ideal candidates for radiotargeted therapy.
Ligands deliver the radioactive substance Lutetium-177 to cancer cells. It is responsible for destroying the cancer cells. The radionuclide emits short beams of radiation up to 1 mm long, so that tissue near the tumor is almost completely unharmed. It is eliminated from the body within a few days after injection.
Indications for PSMA therapy for prostate cancer
Indications for prostate cancer treatment with lutetium-177 are as follows:
- Castration-resistant prostate cancer
- Chemotherapy failure or contraindications for it
- Patient life expectancy over 6 months
- Satisfactory general health condition of the patient
Lutetium-177 is now used in advanced stages of the disease when other methods have failed. However, as scientists receive more data on the high efficacy of the technique, it is expected that radiotargeted therapy will soon be used as a first-line treatment.
Contraindications to PSMA therapy include the following:
- Irradiation within 6 months before the procedure
- More than a 5-fold increase in liver transaminase levels
- Kidney dysfunction
- A significant decrease in the number of blood cells and low hemoglobin levels
How is Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy performed?
The treatment involves a single injection of Lutetium-177 into the patient’s vein. This is a solution based on normal sodium chloride to which a therapeutic radionuclide is added. The drug is administered slowly over one minute.
Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended before and after the lutetium injection. The more a person drinks, the faster the radioactive substance is excreted from the body through the kidneys, which reduces the risk of damage to the kidneys. Instead of drinking plenty of water, doctors in some clinics perform an intravenous infusion (drip) of crystalloid solutions.
A small amount of Lutetium may accumulate in the salivary glands. Therefore, they are cooled during the injection of the radiopharmaceutical to slow blood flow and reduce radionuclide accumulation.
PSMA therapy is well tolerated. Most patients do not experience any discomfort during treatment. The most common complication of treatment is dry mouth due to damage to the salivary glands.
The procedure is repeated every 4-8 weeks, with treatment results monitored by scintigraphy, CT or MRI scans, and laboratory tests. Treatment is continued as long as it is effective.
You can receive your PSMA cancer therapy abroad. You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to make your appointment for treatment in German hospitals. On the website you can see the prices of different hospitals, compare the Lutetium PSMA therapy costs and choose the most profitable cost. The specialists at Booking Health will take care of all the arrangements for your treatment in Germany.
