Farrer Park Hospital Steps Up Prostate Cancer Treatment with Lutetium-177 PSMA Therapy

Farrer Park Hospital announced today the availability of Lutetium-177 Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Therapy, a treatment for advanced prostate cancer.

Lu177 PSMA Therapy is a specialized treatment under nuclear medicine, where small amounts of radioactive materials known as radionuclide, are infused into the bloodstream to travel to the cancerous cells to shrink or destroy them.

Once the Lutetium-177 PSMA radiopharmaceutical is administered in patients, the PSMA ligand targets cells that express the PSMA cell surface glycoprotein such as prostate cancer cells.

It allows for specific and targeted radiation therapy, typically in cases of metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC), in which the tumor cells have spread to other sites outside the prostate.

Piloted at Farrer Park Hospital's Nuclear Medicine Suite (NMS) in early 2020, several cancer patients have received the Lu177 PSMA Therapy. These patients are in advanced stages and have been heavily pre-treated before coming to the NMS for the therapy.  

Dr. Andrew Tan, Nuclear Medicine Physician and Head, NMS said: "Lutetium-177 PSMA Therapy offers another form of prostate cancer treatment for advanced stage patients. This form of targeted cancer radiotherapy has been shown to achieve good biochemical (PSA) responses with generally mild and transient side effects and ongoing trials are showing a trend towards improved survival outcomes[1]. These developments in the field of nuclear medicine therapies are very encouraging as it contributes to the arsenal of cancer treatments."

With therapy and diagnostics at its core, theranostics at Farrer Park Hospital's NMS combine diagnostic imaging and therapy by using the same agent in different dosages. Guided by the right imaging, it ensures the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.

"The emergence of theranostics, which combines the use of a single targeting agent for both diagnostic and therapeutic purpose provides for a better therapy and diagnosis; and hope for better prognosis and survival for advanced prostate cancer patients," said Dr. Peng Chung Mien, Chief Executive Officer of Farrer Park Hospital.  

Besides Lutetium-177 PSMA Therapy for prostate care, Farrer Park Hospital also offers Focal Therapy, a non-invasive procedure that treats early-stage prostate cancer using high intensity focused ultrasound. For non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, the Prolieve® Thermodilatation System, another minimally invasive procedure, can be used to treat the condition.

On November 2, 2020, Farrer Park Hospital received the Asia Pacific Service Provider of the Year for Prostate Care. The award was conferred by Global Health Asia Pacific for making available a complete suite of prostate health and disease treatment for the patients.

About Farrer Park Hospital

Farrer Park Hospital is the latest private tertiary acute care hospital in Singapore. The facility includes the Farrer Park Medical Centre with specialist clinics, medical technology, nuclear medicine and radiology services to support a wide range of surgical specialties in oncology, orthopedic, gastroenterology and cardiology. Designed by healthcare professionals and conveniently built above an underground train station, the hospital is a carefully created environment to enable modern yet holistic care for all its patients.

The hospital shares numerous calming gardens and inspiring art works with its related hotel, One Farrer Hotel. Synergies between the hospital and hotel provide families and visitors with enhanced experiences in food and beverage, choices of accommodation, lifestyle programs and conference facilities. Farrer Park Hospital and One Farrer Hotel are part of The Farrer Park Company Pte Ltd, a Singapore based company.