Lutathera

nsucoe
nsucoe Member Posts: 5
edited July 2020 in Pancreatic Cancer #1

My husband is about to begin Lutathera treatment for neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. Has anyone else been treated with this drug?  Can you tell us what it's like?

Comments

  • bigbear99
    bigbear99 Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2020 #2
    treated

    I went through Lutathera treatment this past winter - 4 treatments 2 months apart.  Treatments themselves were a piece of cake, but that's partily because I received it at an institution that uses custom formulated amino acids (a key part of the treatment) instead of off the shelf commercial mixes designed for TPN.  You can expect to be in the treatment chair for about 6 hours, with two IV lines.  But you shouldn't feel anything.  

    The treatment can affect bone marrow and kidney function, so those will be monitored by blood draws monthly.  If either shows a problem, they'll adjust or postpone the next treatment.

    My only side effect was bone marrow suppression, which showed up 3 months after the last treatment!  My bone marrow is slowly recovering now.  

  • nsucoe
    nsucoe Member Posts: 5
    edited August 2020 #3
    bigbear99 said:

    treated

    I went through Lutathera treatment this past winter - 4 treatments 2 months apart.  Treatments themselves were a piece of cake, but that's partily because I received it at an institution that uses custom formulated amino acids (a key part of the treatment) instead of off the shelf commercial mixes designed for TPN.  You can expect to be in the treatment chair for about 6 hours, with two IV lines.  But you shouldn't feel anything.  

    The treatment can affect bone marrow and kidney function, so those will be monitored by blood draws monthly.  If either shows a problem, they'll adjust or postpone the next treatment.

    My only side effect was bone marrow suppression, which showed up 3 months after the last treatment!  My bone marrow is slowly recovering now.  

    Thanks

    Thanks for your reply.

    How long after treatment are the doctors able to assess the effectiveness of the treatment?

    My husband will have his gallium scan in two days so that the doctors can determine if he's a good candidate for Lutathera treatment.  If so, we are hopeful that he will tolerate the treatments well. If you have any "tips" for us, please let us know.

    Best wishes to you. 

  • nsucoe
    nsucoe Member Posts: 5
    #4
    Lutathera

    My husband has neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed in January 2016. The tumor was wrapped around the artery, so surgery was not an option. He did six rounds of chemo and a month of radiation and appeared to be cancer free for the last four years.  His chromogranin A numbers have been going up steadily since January, but every biopsy/scan has been negative until two weeks ago. We met with the oncologist yesterday and he is recommending Lutathera.  Waiting for a call from Excel Diagnostics to set up treatment. Would love to hear from someone who has undergone Lutathera injections. 

Discussion Boards