How Does Lutetium-177 Therapy in Israel Work to Treat Prostate Cancer?

Sheba Medical Center in Israel is one of only a few medical centers in the world to offer cutting-edge Lutetium-177 prostate cancer therapy.

Dr. Meital Levartovsky, senior oncologist, GU Unit at the Cancer Center, works in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of experts to design and administer lutetium prostate cancer treatment at Sheba. Knowledgeable nurses also guide and inform each patient about any possible side effects, taking the time to answer any of your questions and concerns.

The PSMA protein (prostate-specific membrane antigens) is expressed on the membrane of prostate cells. Typically, cancerous prostate tumors have a very high number of PSMAs. If the prostate cancer has metastasized to other areas of the body, the PSMA will also be detectable in those areas. Lutetium-177 works by attaching to the PSMA receptors and then emitting beta radiation to damage the cancer cells and gradually destroy them. This high-precision targeting of PSMA molecules optimizes the results of the radiation-focused treatment, while simultaneously minimizing damage to other healthy body cells.

In general, Lutetium-177 is only used on men who have metastatic prostate cancer or recalcitrant prostate cancer that hasn’t responded well enough to other lines of treatment.

At Sheba, this progressive therapy is provided with a “theranostic” approach, which combines therapy and diagnostics. Therefore, to determine who is eligible for Lutetium-177, a diagnostic scan will first be performed to ensure that you have a high enough level of PSMAs for the radiation to target and attack. A personalized treatment program will then be designed by our expert specialists.

Our multidisciplinary team has invaluable experience in administering Lutetium-177, which is not something many medical centers can say because it is only offered at a handful of institutions. The combination of our skilled physicians and state-of-the-art technologies make Sheba the hospital of choice.

We apply a patient-centric approach to cancer care, offering pain management and general lifestyle advice, such as dietary counseling and complementary health services. With patient comfort as a top priority, we provide every service efficiently and conveniently under one roof on our vast campus. In addition, the fees at Sheba are affordable and transparent, with no surprising hidden costs.