Innovative Prostate Cancer Drug Offered at
Lynn Cancer Institute
A drug that “substantially helps” extend survival for patients with incurable late-stage prostate cancer is available in Palm Beach County exclusively at the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
PLUVICTO® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) was approved in 2022 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “for the treatment of adult patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen–positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA-positive mCRPC) that has spread to other parts of the body.” It is used only for those with late-stage prostate cancer who have already exhausted most other anti-cancer treatments.
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, metastatic prostate cancer may initially respond to hormone therapy and other medications. Over time, however, “the cancer often ‘outsmarts’ the drugs, developing adaptations that allow it to thrive even in a low-testosterone environment, and it begins to grow.” This is the point where new options such as Pluvicto are needed.
Palm Beach County’s only source for Pluvicto
Lynn Cancer Institute and Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute are the only cancer centers south of Orlando to offer Pluvicto, according to radiation oncologist Michael Kasper, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at Lynn Cancer Institute. He says innovative radiopharmaceutical therapy can extend survival and increase the quality of life for patients with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.
“Pluvicto has been shown to improve overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with standard-of-care chemotherapy. PFS more than doubled and the median overall survival improved by more than a third, from 11.3 months to 15.3 months,” says Dr. Kasper. “It was pretty substantial – we usually don’t see improvements like that.” He points out that, for patients with incurable prostate cancer, an extra four months is “a gift” – more time that they can spend with their family, wrap up their affairs and enjoy life’s special moments.
