Despite advances in medical technology, cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in the population. To fight it, modern medicine regularly invents newer and more effective treatments. The striking example of the innovative cancer treatment is the use of radionuclide Lutetium-177.
Today, this treatment is available only in the most modern hospitals in the world. Lutetium-177 is widely used in cancer therapy in Germany and Turkey. The use of innovative therapies has made these countries the best in treating patients with advanced cancers.
What is it?
Lutetium uses in cancer therapy include detection of prostatic tumors and delivering a radiopharmaceutical to them. This treatment option is called Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy. PSMA is a specific protein that is present on the surface of malignant prostatic cells, which is the main target for Lutetium in this method. Due to its selectivity, Lutetium attaches only to this protein, allowing the radioactive substance to target the tumor.
Once the cancer cells have been detected with Lutetium, radiopharmaceuticals start to destroy them. Generally, this treatment option is widely used to treat advanced prostate cancer with metastases, especially when other treatments are ineffective. This method belongs to the types of cancer treatment that are good at finding and destroying tumor metastases, allowing to stop the spread of cancer cells.
Advantages of Lu-177
One of the major advantages of using Lutetium in cancer therapy is its minimal influence on healthy tissues, in contrast to conventional radiation therapy that affects the whole body. As a rule, additional methods of examination are used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and the need for further procedures.
Besides its safety, therapy with Lutetium demonstrates excellent results in treating cancer that has metastasis. The radioactive Lutetium-177 PSMA finds prostate cancer cells regardless of their location, so the radiation source is delivered directly to cancer cells anywhere in your body. Administration of Lutetium-177 is an excellent option for treating advanced metastatic cancer when other methods have poor effect or the patients have contraindications to them.
Indications for therapy with Lutetium
As a rule, Lu-177 is not used as an independent method of treatment at the first stages of prostate cancer. Generally, Lutetium uses in cancer therapy include administration at the advanced stages, in the presence of distant metastases. The main indications for applying Lu-177 in prostate cancer treatment are as follows:
- Advanced prostate cancer with bone metastases
- Lack of effect from other therapies
- Patients have contraindications to others treatment options
Thus, the clinical use of Lutetium-177 PSMA is indicated only when other methods no longer work or are unavailable for medical or other reasons. This method is relatively new in the treatment of cancer, so physicians are still conducting research in order to investigate the long-term effects of Lutetium on the human body.
How to undergo up-to-date treatment abroad
Many patients know about the fact that foreign countries are more successful in treating many diseases, including cancer. That’s why foreign hospitals are so popular among patients from all over the world. Unfortunately, arranging treatment on your own is quite a complicated process that requires a lot of effort and experience.
Besides, arranging treatment abroad has become even more difficult due to the introduction of the lockdown because of COVID-19. Thus, thousands of patients are unable to receive modern treatment abroad on their own. If left untreated for a long time, the cancer can progress, worsening the prognosis for treatment and life.
To solve this problem, you can contact the medical tourism operator Booking Health. With its help, treatment abroad is available even during the lockdown. Booking Health will help you with all the necessary information and assistance in organizing treatment during the pandemic. You can find more information about the benefits of treatment abroad with Booking Health on the company’s website.
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