Are There New Treatments for Prostate Cancer?
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Although society at large does not often speak of this, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. Prostate cancer is pervasive. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society over 164,600 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Taking this into question, how many new treatments are in development for prostate cancer?
Although these statistics can be rather alarming at first glance, it’s important to consider survival rates for prostate cancer are very high. This is even the case for later stages of cancer. If you would like to know more about survival rates, check our previous entry on recent prostate cancer survival rates.
The increase in survival rates is due in large part due to new development in technologies and treatments for prostate cancer.
New treatment: Pluvicto
Actually only just this March, the FDA approved a new treatment for prostate cancer. It is a new form of therapy specifically for advanced metastasizing prostate cancer. That is to say, late-stage cancer that is spreading throughout the body.
Researchers call this new therapy Pluvicto (or lutetium-177-PSMA-617). Its method of delivery involves an intravenous infusion. The new treatment has proven effective at locating and destroying tumors that might, for instance, be too small to see via the usual forms of medical imaging.
More specifically, the FDA intends to use Pluvicto on men who have already gone through other cancer therapies. They approved it specifically for these circumstances. This might include, for example, cases that already went through chemotherapy or hormonal therapies intended to block tumor growth and development.
The most effective facet of Pluvicto’s infusion is its base ingredients. It comprises two of these, the first are proteins that bind themselves only to cancer cell membranes. They are able to target them specifically because they only adhere to membranes with high PSMA levels. That is because healthy cells do not have any PSMA, and in the rare event that they do, it is in very small amounts. Once they have found their target the second ingredient comes into play; radioactive particles that destroy cancer cells.
That is to say that radiation therapy is becoming more and more precise. Heightening survival rates and lessening the physical toll and secondary effects of treatment. This new treatment was made possible by Novartis. The pharmaceutical company behind the development and breakthrough of Pluvicto or Lu-PSMA-617.
Further information
Check our resources section for further information. Where you can also find inspiration from success and survival stories, or we can help you connect with a prostate cancer survivor.
If you have any questions, or just want to talk, call us at our toll-free hotline: 1(833)HEAL-MEN. You are not alone in this journey. We are here to help guide and support you through it, every step of the way.
