Actinium-225 treatment in Germany is effective even for advanced stages of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer has reached stage 4 and hormone therapy no longer works. Chemotherapy also does not provide the patient with the desired result or causes severe side effects. Metastases have spread to several organs at once and continue to grow. It may seem like the situation is hopeless and there are no more treatment options. In fact, you can undergo the innovative Actinium-225 treatment in Germany. This drug works even in the most severe cases. You are welcome to visit the Booking Health service to find out which hospitals offer this type of prostate cancer treatment and choose a medical care program at one of the world’s best Cancer Centres.
What is Actinium-225?
Actinium-225 is one of the radionuclides used for targeted alpha therapy for advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer. The drug emits very short alpha radiation that damages the cancer cells in the accumulation area without affecting adjacent healthy tissues.
Actinium-225 is administered intravenously. Cancer cells absorb it, after which they receive a significant dose of radiation and ultimately die.
How did the doctors manage to ensure such a selective effect? Why does Actinium-225 accumulate only in tumors but not in healthy tissues? The secret of this selectivity is a protein molecule called PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen). This protein is present in cancer cells but almost absent in healthy tissues. Actinium-225 is attached to a ligand that can bind to PSMA and is therefore only absorbed by malignant tissue.
How is prostate cancer treatment with Actinium-225 carried out?
A course of Ac-225 PSMA therapy involves just a single intravenous injection of a radiopharmaceutical agent. The dosage of radioactive agent is calculated individually, taking into account the patient’s body weight and kidney function. The patient needs to spend a few days in a hospital until the agent leaves their body naturally (through the kidneys).
Actinium therapy can be periodically repeated. The drug can be repeatedly injected once every few weeks. Actinium-225 cancer treatment continues as long as it remains effective. That is, this can be continued as long as the tumors continue to shrink in size and PSA levels decrease.
What results can be expected?
It is unlikely that Actinium-225 will completely cure the cancer. However, if a response to treatment is achieved, you can expect long-term remission. Three out of four patients have at least a partial objective response to treatment: the tumors shrink in diameter by a third or more, according to X-ray diagnostics. Two out of three patients have a biochemical response to treatment: PSA levels decrease by half or more.
Moreover, the treatment rarely causes any severe toxic reactions. Only one out of ten patients refuses therapy due to side effects. The most common complication, which occurs in more than half of patients, is dry mouth. This is due to the presence of a small amount of PSMA in the salivary glands, so they can absorb the radionuclide. Less than half of patients develop fatigue and anemia. The frequency of kidney damage is 5%.
If you are interested in undergoing Actinium-225 PSMA therapy, you can seek medical help from one of the clinics in Germany. You can find out prices for treatment and select a medical care program on the Booking Health website. The cost of treatment will be lower for you due to the absence of additional taxes for foreign patients. The Booking Health specialists will help you choose the best medical center, make an appointment for your preferred dates, and arrange your trip.