PSMA, a Promising New Type of Drug for Advanced Prostate Cancer
In the past, men with advanced prostate cancer only received palliative care, treatments aimed at improving the quality of life of patients because medical treatment did not cause any reaction. Therefore, this drug must give new hope to men with prostate cancer who no longer have treatment options.
This new approach in the treatment of prostate cancer uses high-tech molecules, prostate-specific membrane antigens or PSMA-617. PSMA is used to track tumor cells which can be found in various parts of the body. Radiotherapy that has been used cannot do that.
PSMA works by targeting proteins on the cell surface. PSMA will be injected into the bloodstream for 4 hours to look for cancer cells in the body. Sophisticated PSMA molecules will bind to proteins on the surface of cancer cells.
After being bound to cancer cells, PSMA continues its work aimed at destroying cancer cells. This may be due to the fact that the injected PSMA molecule also contains a nuclear isotope, lutetium-177, which will store the energy needed for the destruction of tumor cells.
What is important in this PSMA is that the radiation energy produced cannot damage the surrounding healthy tissue. Radiotherapy energy will only work up to 1 mm, so it only specifically destroys prostate cancer cells.
Using PSMA in research
The development of this PSMA drug seems very promising for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Various studies have shown positive results in radiotherapy with PSMA. This treatment began privately in the UK for the first time a few weeks ago. For starters, two men receive treatment.
The first man in the UK to receive PSMA therapy was very successful. Seven years ago, he was diagnosed with end-stage prostate cancer. Unlike radiotherapy, treatment with PSMA does not cause side effects in humans.
Meanwhile, research has been conducted in Australia on 50 men with advanced prostate cancer aged 9 to 13 months. Up to 1 in 5 respondents show very good results. Respondents survived even up to 33 months.
The use of radiation therapy in prostate cancer
Radiation therapy is a common treatment for prostate cancer. However, the use of this therapy can only be used in early stages of cancer and low risk, that is, if cancer cells are still in the prostate. After prostate cancer cells have spread from the prostate, prostate cancer cannot be treated with external radiation.
There are two types of radiation: external radiation and internal radiation or brachytherapy. External radiation is carried out using an external machine to the body, targeting the prostate. This radiation can be given to patients with early-stage prostate cancer, as well as to relieve bone pain if the cancer cells have spread to the bone.
Internal radiation, radioactive as small as rice grains, is used by placing it directly on the prostate. Internal radiation is achieved in the early stages of prostate cancer, whose growth is relatively slow. Sometimes a combination of external and internal radiation is achieved in cancer patients who are at high risk of spreading to other organs.
Healthy tissue can be damaged by radiation. Radiation therapy can cause various side effects, such as digestive disorders, urinary tract, erection problems.
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