What is Dota-tate Therapy?
Therapy with the isotope Lutetium-177 is a treatment method for patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors. It is also called "targeted radionuclide therapy", "peptide receptor radionuclide therapy" and "radioligand therapy with somatostatin receptors".
How does Dota-tate Therapy (Lutetium 177) work?
The radioactive isotope Lutetium-177 is coupled to a peptide (DOTA-TATE) that binds to somatostatin receptors on tumor cell surfaces.
Which malignant tumors can be treated with Lutetium-177?
- Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) of the gastrointestinal tract
- Neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas
- Carcinoids
- Certain forms of thyroid cancer
- Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (with PSMA-617)
Course of Lutetium-177 Therapy
Treatment is given in several cycles, typically 4-6 treatments 6-8 weeks apart.
Scientific confirmation
The NETTER-1 study showed that Lutetium-177-DOTATATE therapy significantly prolongs progression-free survival.
