Regional One Health Cancer Care is one of just a handful of locations in the region now offering Pluvicto, an infusion treatment for metastatic prostate cancer.
Patients undergo screening to see if they qualify for Pluvicto, and those who do receive a series of infusions in our Nuclear Medicine service.
Pluvicto is proven to enhance life expectancy, slow disease progression, and improve symptoms for patients with stage 4 prostate cancer.
Regional One Health is expanding access to an innovative new treatment that can help patients with metastatic prostate cancer live longer and improve their quality of life.
Bilawal Ahmed, MD, a medical oncologist who specializes in prostate cancer, said Regional One Health Cancer Care is one of just a handful of hospitals in the Mid-South that offer Pluvicto, an injectable treatment designed for patients with stage 4, or metastatic, prostate cancer.
“It’s great for patients that Regional One Health is offering this, because there aren’t too many places in the region where it’s available,” Dr. Ahmed said. “Between Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, there are only a couple places where patients can access the treatment.”
Pluvicto is a significant advancement in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and part of a larger shift toward using precision medicine to treat prostate cancer, Dr. Ahmed said. Its targeted approach delivers radiation directly to cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy tissues.
“Pluvicto isn’t a cure, but it’s an excellent option to control the cancer, reduce pain, and give the patient more time,” Dr. Ahmed said. “It has shown to improve both life expectancy and symptoms. Patients feel better, so their quality of life is improved.”
Dr. Ahmed said patients first undergo screening to see if they meet specific criteria to qualify for Pluvicto treatment.
“Pluvicto isn’t a cure, but it’s an excellent option to control the cancer, reduce pain, and give the patient more time,” Dr. Bilawal Ahmed said. “It has shown to improve both life expectancy and symptoms. Patients feel better, so their quality of life is improved.”
Pluvicto is for advanced prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland and no longer responds to chemotherapy or hormone therapy, so patients have to have already tried other treatments without success prior to receiving Pluvicto.
They also need to have sufficient kidney function and adequate bone marrow reserves. “Their organs and blood counts don’t need to be perfect, but they need to be in an acceptable range,” Dr. Ahmed said. “Some patients are too sick for these therapies. Severe bone marrow suppression, kidney problems, or cardiac disease can make them not eligible.”
Patients also need to have a positive PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) scan, which means their cancer cells are likely to respond to Pluvicto.
Patients who qualify receive their infusions in Regional One Health’s Nuclear Medicine service via IV infusion, typically once every six weeks for six to nine cycles. The medication is a radiopharmaceutical, which means it combines a radioactive component and targeting molecule to deliver targeted radiation directly to PSMA-positive cancer cells to slow or stop their growth.
“The patient is injected with the specific antigen for the cancer in their body,” Dr. Ahmed explained. “It can target very specifically to the prostate cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, which is pretty non-specific, Pluvicto only kills the cancer cells while avoiding the healthy cells.”
Patients receive plenty of education about their treatment.
“With radiopharmaceuticals, patients have to be isolated for at least three days – they can’t share utensils, a toilet, food, etc.,” Dr. Ahmed said.
“They are educated about how to do this, and these requirements are temporary and manageable. We make sure patients have all the information they need – when a patient gets started, they get a whole set of instructions because this therapy is so new.”
Pluvicto is for patients with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer that has not responded to other treatments, such as chemotherapy. It is given as an infusion in our Nuclear Medical service and has been shown to improve life expectancy and quality of life.
Patients are also monitored to ensure the treatment’s effectiveness and safety and to receive supportive care for any side effects they experience from treatment.
Dr. Ahmed said typical side effects are fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, dry mouth, and poor appetite. The most serious potential side effect is bone marrow suppression, which can lead to increased risk of infection, anemia, and bleeding problems.
“Serious side effects are rare but manageable,” Dr. Ahmed said.
That means Pluvicto typically offers patients not only extended life expectancy, but improved quality of life. Studies show the treatment improves overall survival rates, delays progression of the disease, and reduces tumor size in some patients.
Dr. Ahmed said Pluvicto is shown to extend life expectancy by 6 to 9 months. Cancer symptoms including bone pain are reduced, he added, and the treatment is typically better tolerated than chemotherapy, which is the only other option.
“Pluvicto offers hope for patients who have limited treatment options,” he noted. “We can help improve quality of life, improve symptoms, and improve life expectancy.”