Radiopharmaceuticals

What are radiopharmaceuticals?

Radiopharmaceuticals are specialized drugs that contain small amounts of radioactive material that can help diagnose and treat various medical conditions. In recent years, cancer research has produced several new radiopharmaceuticals that specifically treat advanced prostate cancer.

Who is eligible for radiopharmaceutical treatment?

Patients with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, including the bones
Patients whose prostate cancer has not responded adequately to hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery

How do radiopharmaceuticals help diagnose advanced prostate cancer?

Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are invaluable in helping clinicians evaluate and diagnose patients. These specialized compounds bind to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on prostate cancer cells. Usually given by injection, radiopharmaceuticals travel through the patient’s bloodstream to locate and attach to the cancer cells. The radiation emitted by these compounds can be detected by imaging scans such as a PET, enabling doctors to identify the precise location of the cancer.

How do radiopharmaceuticals treat advanced prostate cancer?

Radiopharmaceutical therapy is a targeted treatment used for certain patients with advanced prostate cancer. After your physician determines that you are an appropriate candidate, the radiopharmaceutical is administered through an intravenous (IV) infusion. The treatment combines a radioactive isotope with a molecule that seeks out and binds to prostate cancer cells, delivering radiation directly to cancer sites throughout the body. This targeted approach helps damage and destroy cancer cells while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. Radiopharmaceutical therapy can help slow disease progression, reduce tumor burden, and, in some cases, extend survival.

What Is Pluvicto®?

Pluvicto® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) is an FDA-approved radiopharmaceutical therapy for certain patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Pluvicto® works by targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein found on many prostate cancer cells. Once it attaches to these cells, it delivers a precise dose of radiation directly to the cancer, helping to damage and destroy tumor cells throughout the body while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissues. For eligible patients, Pluvicto® has been shown to help slow disease progression, reduce tumor burden, improve symptoms, and extend survival.

Radiopharmaceutical benefits

Reduced Side Effects

Studies of patients who have been treated with radiopharmaceuticals suggest this treatment may reduce the risk of both short- and long-term side effects associated with other cancer treatments.¹

Tumor Shrinkage

Research has shown that patients who received radiopharmaceutical treatments were more likely to see their tumor shrink compared to patients receiving standard cancer treatment.¹

Life-Extending Benefits

In clinical trials, patients who received radiopharmaceutical treatments saw longer progression-free survival compared to patients receiving standard treatment.^1,2

To Make an Appointment, Please Call:

White Oak Cancer Center Radiation / Silver Spring: 240-471-3800

Aquilino Cancer Center Radiation / Rockville: 301-309-6765