Exploring PSMA Therapies in Prostate Cancer

Declan Murphy, MD, consultant urologist and director of Genito-Urinary Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne, and founding director of Cancer Specialists, discusses the current interest in using PSMA as treatment of patients with prostate cancer during the 21st Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology, following the FDA’s approval of Gallium 68 PSMA-11 (Ga 68 PSMA-11) on December 1, 2020, which marks the first ever drug for PET imaging of PSMA-positive lesions in men with prostate cancer.

PSMA therapy, also known as theranostics is an area of interest at this time. For patients with prostate cancer who have PSMA in their prostate cancer or metastases, the diagnostic agent can be labeled with a therapy agent, such as 177Lu-PSMA-617 (LuPSMA), which is a small radioactive particle. As the PSMA molecule attracts the imaging accent, it also attracts the therapy agent, Murphy explains.

PSMA theranostics are an exciting area of research at this time. Data have been published already for this therapeutic approach, while clinical trials are ongoing as well, Murphy says. Researchers are anticipating the read out of these data in the coming future.