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Metastatic prostate cancer patients in the Capital Region now have a new treatment option at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Baton Rouge.
Pluvicto is an intravenous medication for patients with advanced prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Dr. William Russell, a radiation oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, credits the research of Dr. Oliver Sartor, a leading prostate cancer expert, for demonstrating the drug’s effectiveness.
“A friend of mine, Oliver Sartor … published this paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021 that showed that for this group of men who have stopped responding to hormone therapy and two in that study also had gotten chemotherapy, that they prolonged their life by eight months and [Pluvicto] gave them some symptom relief,” Russell tells Daily Report.
Despite its benefits, Pluvicto was initially difficult to access due to supply chain challenges. Ochsner’s New Orleans campus and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales were two of the early adopters, beginning use of the drug in 2023.
The treatment is designed for men with metastatic prostate cancer who have not responded to hormonal therapy and, in many cases, have undergone chemotherapy. It is administered every six weeks for six doses.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in Louisiana, with the state ranking third in the nation for incidence rates, according to the American Cancer Society. East Baton Rouge Parish reports an average of 169.7 prostate cancer cases per 100,000 people—among the highest in the state.
“This is another powerful weapon in the treatment of prostate cancer,” Russell says about Pluvicto. “I’m very pleased it’s available here.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated since original publication to clarify that Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center was not the first facility in the Capital Region to use Pluvicto.
