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PRRT Lu177 DOTATAAT
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  4. Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT)

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT)

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) with Lutetium-177-Dotatate is a treatment for Neuroendocrine tumors (NET). By administering radioactive lutetium-177 Dotatate, these tumors can be treated with great precision which can improve the overall quality of life. Symptoms often diminish quickly. The treatment is administered t a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, nuclear medicine professionals, gastroenterologists, and radiologists. The Netherlands Cancer Institute is the second center in the Netherlands that was accredited for this treatment type. With the addition of PRRT, the shared expert center of the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the UMC Utrecht officially offers all treatment options for patients with NET.

More information

Preparations

In order to assess whether Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) with Lutetium-177 dotatate is the right treatment for you, we will need to make a couple of scans: a Gallium-68 Dotatate PET/CT scan, a CT scan, and a FDG PET/CT scan. If it turns out that some metastases do not absorb the protein, the treatment will not have sufficient effect.We will also run several tests to predict side effects. All tests can be run during consultations at our outpatient clinics. We will discuss the results with you during a consultation before your treatment.

Treatment

You will be admitted to one of our wards where you will spend the night. The day starts with a consultation with a nurse who will explain the treatment to you. Then you will receive drugs against any potential nausea the treatment may cause, as well as an iv containing a solution that will protect your kidneys. The Litetium-177 Dotatate will be delivered 30 minutes later, and will take an additional 30 minutes. In the afternoon, your iv will be removed. Scans will be made at regular intervals at the Nuclear Medicine department to track the way your body is absorbing the protein and the division throughout the body. Two of these scans will be taken during the day of the treatment. The others will be taken after 24 hours and after 48 hours. Most people will be able to go home one day after the treatment. Your body will contain radioactive material: you will receive further instructions on how to deal with this. 

Side-effects and complications

You may experience several side-effects as a result of the treatment. The most common one is nausea, which is why you are given a preventative drug before your treatment. You may also experience: fatigue, mild (abdominal) pain, or hair loss (without balding). Every person responds differently to the treatment. The exact side effects you will experience are hard to predict.

After your treatment

We will give you a full overview of all aftercare and check-up appointments before you leave the hospital. You will have to come in for regular blood labs in order to quickly determine any side effects, and you will have a consultation at the outpatient clinic to see how you are doing. You will receive four treatment sessions with a rest period of 10 weeks between the appointments. The preparations for every treatment will be less intense than the preparations for the very first session, and will usually only involve a blood test to assess the effects of the treatments on your body. Your practicing physicians will discuss these results with you during an outpatient consultation. 

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