Geoffrey B. Johnson, MD, PhD, presented “Just the Beginning: What’s Next for Radiotheranostics in Prostate Cancer?” during the 32nd Annual International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU32) conference on March 8, 2022, in Snowbird, Utah.

How to cite: Johnson, Goeffrey B. “Just the Beginning: What’s Next for Radiotheranostics in Prostate Cancer?” March 8, 2022. Accessed Mar 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/just-the-beginning-whats-next-for-radiotheranostics-in-prostate-cancer/

Just the Beginning: What’s Next for Radiotheranostics in Prostate Cancer? – Summary

Geoffrey B. Johnson, MD, PhD, Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discusses 177Lu-PSMA-617 treatment for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) along with other advances in theranostics. He reviews how drug treatments target prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) receptors, then highlights the VISION trial which tested 177Lu-PSMA-617 on patients who had previously undergone chemotherapy and hormone therapy. This trial found that patients with advanced prostate cancer had well-tolerated side effects, leading to studies like PSMAfore with patients who had not started chemotherapy. Dr. Johnson points out several drawbacks of 177LuPSMA-617, namely that it does not cure prostate cancer, there are dosing limitations, it is very expensive, and not all prostate cancer patients can be treated with it. He also notes that not all prostate cancer tumors express PSMA thereby reducing the benefit of 177LuPSMA-617. Dr. Johnson then describes combination therapies using hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, external radiation, cocktail radionuclide therapy, and external radiation. Finally, he presents new technologies like PSMA post-therapy imaging, strategies to improve efficacy of cell binding, and targeting agents such as fibroblast activation protein (FAP) inhibitors.

About the 32nd Annual International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU32):
Presented by Program Chair E. David Crawford, MD,  The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU), is a multi-day, CME-accredited conference focused on new developments in prostate cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. IPCU 32 featured lectures, interactive discussions, panel roundtables, debates, and case reports. This conference was led by expert physicians and is designed for urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.