ZERO - THE END OF PROSTATE CANCER EDUCAT I ON NEWSLETTER
Winter 2021
PSMA as a Theranostic Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen, or PSMA, has been the subject of extensive and promising prostate cancer research over the past several decades. PSMA is a protein found on the surface of normal prostate cells, but it is found in higher amounts on prostate cancer cells. It is present in more than 80% of prostate cancer cells in men with prostate cancer. PSMA is now being used as a target for imaging to diagnose metastatic or recurrent prostate cancer, and it is also being explored as a target for medications that can treat prostate cancer. This dual purpose is why many refer to PSMA imaging methods and treatments as “theranostic” - a combination of the terms ‘therapeutics’ and ‘diagnostics’. How is PSMA targeted for detecting prostate cancer? A PSMA PET (positron emission tomography) scan is an imaging procedure used to help detect prostate cancer cells within the body. For this procedure, a radioactive agent is injected into the bloodstream prior to the PET scan. The agent then attaches to the PSMA protein on the prostate cancer cells. Once there, it glows in the PET images that are taken to indicate where prostate cancer cells that have traveled outside the prostate may be. This procedure allows prostate cancer cells to be found that may not have been picked up on traditional scans like CT scans and bone scans. Two PSMA PET imaging agents are now approved by the FDA for use in patients whose prostate cancer has recurred or spread. Questions to Ask the Doctor • Is the PSMA PET scan right for me • Do you offer PSMA PET scans? • Are they covered by my health insurance? • Is exposure to the radioactive agent in a PSMA PET safe? • What are the side effects of the PSMA targeted radio pharmaceutical treatment?
How is PSMA targeted for treating prostate cancer? Targeting PSMA proteins on a prostate cancer cell enables very active treatments against prostate cancer to be focused on the cancer cell itself, rather than on normal healthy cells in the body, allowing a precision medicine approach to treatment. PSMA treatments will likely be made available to patients who have PSMA protein detected on their cancer cells using a PSMA PET scan. Many forms of treatment that target PSMA are being developed. The one that is closest to being approved for use in patients is a radiopharmaceutical that delivers radiation therapy directly and specifically to cancer cells that have PSMA on their surface. This radio- pharmaceutical treatment is called lutetium- 177-PSMA-617 (nicknamed lutetium). It was studied in a recently reported phase III clinical trial that was described in June in the New England Journal of Medicine. ZERO Now Offers Support Groups
Terri Likowski, Director, US TOO Support Groups
Prostate cancer survivors who participate in support group meetings - sometimes along with spouses/partners - can find invaluable information and perspective from their peers
who have “been there, done that”. According to the Mayo Clinic, some benefits of participating in support groups may include: • Feeling less lonely, isolated, or judged • Reducing distress, depression, anxiety, or fatigue • Improving skills to cope with challenges • Staying motivated to manage chronic conditions or stick to treatment plans • Gaining a sense of empowerment, control, or hope Support groups are interactive and educational, and often they can facilitate conversations
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