Regional One Health Cancer Care is now offering Lutathera, a targeted infusion therapy for a rare form of cancer called gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).
Trials show Lutathera can slow disease progression, allowing patients to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.
As one of only a few locations offering the treatment in the Mid-South, Regional One Health is proud to improve access to state-of-the-art cancer care for our patients.
Regional One Health Cancer Care is expanding access to advanced oncology care by offering a state-of-the-art targeted therapy for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).
Medical oncologist Saurin Chokshi, MD, a specialist in treating gastrointestinal cancers, said GEP-NETs develop in the GI tract and pancreas. The treatment, called Lutathera, is an infusion medication that specifically targets the tumors while sparing healthy tissue.
The treatment builds on Regional One Health’s ability to provide world-class care for all cancer patients, including those with complex or rare diagnoses, Dr. Chokshi said.
“The fact that we can offer this therapy bolsters our ability to serve our patient population,” he said. “There are very few locations in the Mid-South offering Lutathera, so it’s very important that we have this here so patients can access the care they need.”
Dr. Chokshi said neuroendocrine tumors occur when there is an overgrowth of cells that produce peptides and hormones that help in digestion and other functions. They cause symptoms including flushing and sweating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Lutathera builds on existing medical technology to target certain types of GEP-NETs.
“As a targeted therapy, Lutathera focuses on attacking cancer cells, and healthy cells are not impacted. The treatment is well-tolerated and very effective,” Dr. Chokshi said.
“These tumors often have specific molecular markers that allow drugs to target and attack only the cancer cells,” Dr. Chokshi explained.
That molecular marker, called a somatostatin receptor, is a protein on the surface of the tumor. Therefore, before receiving Lutathera, patients are screened via a specialized PET scan called a Dotatate PET scan to see if their tumors have high levels of somatostatin receptors.
If the test is positive, patients are then screened for factors like kidney function, liver function, and blood counts to make sure they’re healthy enough for treatment.
For patients who qualify, Lutathera is given in Regional One Health’s Nuclear Medicine service. Dr. Chokshi explained the medication is a Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy, meaning it delivers radiation directly to tumor cells in order to attack and weaken cancerous cells.
Patients typically have an infusion every eight weeks and receive four total infusions.
Infusions only take about 30-40 minutes, although patients may stay in the clinic for a few hours for monitoring. They can typically resume normal activities fairly quickly.
Side effects are usually minor and manageable through medication and monitoring. They include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, low blood cell counts, and kidney and liver effects.
“Patients can get a surge in the hormone that’s being attacked by the medication because it rapidly kills the cancer cells, causing them to release their hormone quickly,” Dr. Chokshi said. “That can cause a short-term increase in symptoms like flushing and sweating.”
Lutathera is an infusion treatment given in Regional One Health’s Nuclear Medicine service. Patients typically receive four infusions, each eight weeks apart.
Dr. Chokshi said Lutathera is beneficial to patients in several ways.
“As a targeted therapy, it focuses on attacking cancer cells, and healthy cells are not impacted. The treatment is well-tolerated and very effective, and for most patients it’s not inconvenient to come in every eight weeks for their infusion,” Dr. Chokshi said.
He added trials show Lutathera can slow progression of neuroendocrine tumors, helping patients to live longer and enjoy better quality of life.
Dr. Chokshi is excited to make the treatment more accessible in the Mid-South.
He noted because GEP-NETs are so rare – there are about 175,000 cases in the United States – treatment can be hard to access.
“Because they’re exceedingly rare, advanced treatments like Lutathera are typically available only in larger cities,” he said. “These tumors aren’t seen very often in the general population, but when they are, it’s great to have a resource for patients to access this very effective treatment.”
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, talk to your health care provider to learn more about Lutathera and whether it may be right for you.