Through the efforts of a multi-disciplinary team, Baystate Medical Center (BMC) introduced a new cancer therapy in November of 2019 becoming first in the region!
What is Lutathera Cancer Therapy?
Lutathera is a radioactive drug that treats adult patients with somatostatin receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETS). This therapy is designed to target specific tumor sites and damage or destroy them providing positive results for the patient. There is a series of four treatments every 8 weeks lasting 6 to 7 hours per visit.
What are the Benefits of Lutathera Treatment?
By offering this therapy at BMC, patient experience has been improved by saving patients from having to travel to Boston for treatment. Many departments are involved in the successful implementation and delivery of Lutathera including Nuclear Medicine, D3B, Radiation Physics/Safety, D’Amour Center for Cancer Care, and the Pharmacy. Thanks to the efforts of this collaborative team, BMC was also the first to offer compounded amino acids which accompany the therapy. The compounded amino acids have significantly cut the side effects of nausea/vomiting making for a much more comfortable treatment and better patient experience.
A special thank you to all involved in making this therapy a success!