Radioligand therapy is an effective new treatment for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or GEP-NETs. These are tumors that form in the gastrointestinal tract and release hormones.
When you’re starting radioligand therapy for GEP-NETs, it’s important to communicate openly with your care team about your symptoms, according to Kimberly Perez, MD, Medical Oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
That way, they’ll know how to best support you as you receive treatment.
What is it like to get radioligand therapy?
Receiving radioligand therapy for GEP-NETs involves an infusion that’s transmitted through an IV. The therapy will target certain receptors on your tumor’s cells. This intravenous infusion itself may only last for about 30 minutes, and it’s typically given in a nuclear medicine suite.
Next, you’ll generally receive a high-protein saline solution that may help protect your kidneys from the radioactive effects of the medication.
Because you may be radioactive, you may then have to stay at the treatment site until your radiation levels return to lower levels. This helps protect others from exposure. “The expectation is for patients to stay with us in the hospital or in the treatment site for multiple hours,” Perez explains.
What is the typical schedule for radioligand therapy?
About a week before your radioligand therapy, you may need to have a clinical exam done or do some lab work. You will typically receive radioligand therapy every two months or so, and you’ll see your care team every month for labs and a clinical visit to make sure the treatment is working.
How long are you radioactive after radioligand therapy?
It may take about two weeks after a treatment session for the radiation levels in your body to return to normal. While the risk of exposing other people to radiation is small, it should still be taken seriously.
“What I would recommend is limiting your activity or your interaction with others to decrease their risk of exposure [to radiation] probably for the first two or three days,” says Perez.
Here are some tips to help avoid the risk of radiation exposure to others:
Use your own bathroom
Have your own bedroom
Wash your hands often
Don’t share dishes
If you have any further questions about your radioligand therapy for GEP-NETs, talk to your healthcare team.
Kimberly Perez, MD, is a Medical Oncologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.
References
Chan, J. A., et al. (2023). Metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Local options to control tumor growth and symptoms of hormone hypersecretion. UpToDate.
Cives, M., et al. (2018). Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Spindler, S. (2024). Lutathera shows promise as part of initial therapy for some neuroendocrine tumors. National Cancer Institute.
State of Iowa Health and Human Services. (2024). Lutathera (lutetium Lu I77 dotatate).
U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2018). FDA approves new treatment for certain digestive tract cancers.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2022). LUTATHERA [package insert].
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