Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) - Ronny Allan

10May 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Clinical Trial: Novel Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 2 Antagonist Labelled With Terbium-161 (161Tb-DOTA-LM3) (Beta plus)

A new clinical trial post.What is Terbium-161 (161Tb-DOTA-LM3) (Beta plus).Terbium-161 is a radioactive substance. DOTA-LM3 is a novel somatostatin antagonist targeted using somatostatin receptor number 2 (SSTR2). Combined they form a radioligand for use in Pepetide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). It's a beta emitter but labelled 'plus' on the basis it offers more than the currently approved Luthera product (lutetium 177 or 177Lu Dotaxxx series). There is evidence that terbium-161 (161Tb) is more powerful than 177Lu, not only in combination with SST2 agonists but particularly with SST2 antagonists.Agonist vs Antagonist in the context of PRRTThe currently approved Luthera product (lutetium 177 or 177Lu Dotaxxx series) are SST2 agonists. SST2 antagonists are more efficient because they can access more binding sites on the cell surface, resulting in higher tumour uptake and…

03Jan 2023 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

RonnyAllan.NET – a review of 2022

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Diet and Nutrition, Inspiration, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Newsletters, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Travel with Ronny, Treatment

ReviewIn 2022, my pet project (my blog) hit 2 million views in early November – that was a major boost. It takes 3-4 years to get a million hits based on current performance. To be honest, I’m still flabbergasted by reaching one million in 2018. It just kinda happened! I am grateful for every single view. 2022 was a challenging year, mainly because the pandemic had some latent impact on my social media activity and also in terms of growth. 2020 and 2021 were slower than normal but 2022 has seen some pickup. Some of it is due to less writing but much is due to a change in Facebook algorithms which affected many ‘pages’ reducing their scope (the more cynical might say it was done to drive advertising revenue but …….). 2022…

02Nov 2022 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Alpha-emitter PRRT: A Phase 2 Open Label Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in PRRT Naive Subjects With SSTR Expressing NET

Clinical Trials

Ebrahim S Delpassand, Izabela Tworowska, Rouzbeh Esfandiari, Julien Torgue, Jason Hurt, Afshin Shafie and Rodolfo Núñez Journal of Nuclear Medicine, January 2022, jnumed.121.263230; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.121.263230 Update 16th May 2023. Trial’s Objective Response Rate Endpoint Already Achieved. RadioMedix and Orano Med, two clinical stage radiopharmaceutical companies, today announced that the last patient has been dosed in the Phase II trial of the targeted alpha emitter therapy, 212Pb-DOTAMTATE (AlphaMedix™). This trial is being conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of AlphaMedix™ in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of naive patients with somatostatin receptor-expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NET), regardless of the location of the primary tumor. Top-line data from the trial is expected in mid-2024. Remarkably, based on data already collected, the objective response rate (ORR) endpoint has already been achieved and is more than twice as high as the current standard of care. Read more hereWhat…

06Oct 2022 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Study of Lu-177-DOTATATE (Lutathera) in Combination With PARP Inhibitors in Inoperable/Metastatic Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP-NET)

Clinical Trials

PARP inhibitor with PRRT clinical trials update. 1. NIH Trial SummaryA phase I/II clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center evaluates the effectiveness of a combination of two agents that may work in complementary ways to target inoperable or metastatic neuroendocrine tumoors. One agent, lutathera, emits radiation inside the body, causing DNA damage, and the second agent, olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, blocks the repair of DNA breaks. The trial commences in Oct 2022 running for approximately 2 years 9 months. What is Lutathera?It's a type of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) and has been in use for some years as a standard of care (mostly second line). Read more click here.What is Olaparib and what does it do in conjunction with Lutathera?Olaparib (AZD-2281, trade name Lynparza) is an FDA-approved targeted therapy for cancer, developed…

03Oct 2022 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Glossary of Terms

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Treatment

Welcome to my Neuroendocrine Cancer Glossary of Terms list providing a source of meanings for acronyms and medical terms, all sourced from top Neuroendocrine Cancer and general cancer sites. How to use this list: 1. If your term begins with an A, click on A to find all terms beginning with A. Select your term from the list. 2. For numerical terms, please click on the hashtag (#) symbol in the A-to-Z strip. 3. The term definition including acronym or abbreviation will be given in full along with any of my published articles containing that term as long as I have tagged it on my website to display in the list. Please note I'm constantly working on the repository to clean up all definitions, adding and removing links where necessary,…

30Sep 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Prospective Phase II Trial of Prognostication by 68Ga-NOTA-AE105 uPAR PET in Patients with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Implications for uPAR-Targeted Therapy

Clinical Trials

Summary A novel PET radiotracer can accurately assess the presence of a biomarker that indicates the level of tumor aggressiveness in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). According to research published in the September issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the detection of the biomarker provides useful information for physicians to provide personalized care for patients with NENs and may also serve as a potential target for peptide radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for NEN patients.What is uPAR? Tumorigenesis (the production or formation of a tumour or tumours) is closely related to the loss of control of many genes. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), a glycolipid-anchored protein on the cell surface, is controlled by many factors in tumorigenesis and is expressed in many tumor tissues. What is different about targeting uPAR instead of somatostatin receptors? uPAR expression…

14Sep 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Clinical Trial: Phase 1b/3 Targeted Alpha-Emitter PRRT RYZ101 (Ac225)

Clinical Trials

Update 31st May 2023 - RayzeBio doses first patient on Phase 3 ACTION-1 Study, Evaluating RYZ101 (Actinium-225 DOTATATE) in Neuroendocrine Tumors RayzeBio, Inc., a targeted radiopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline against validated solid tumor targets, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 3 trial of RYZ101 in patients with SSTR+ gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) that have progressed following prior Lutetium-177 labelled somatostatin analogue therapy. “Patients with GEP-NETs have very limited options upon progression after Lutetium-177 labelled somatostatin analogue therapy,” said Dr. Thomas Hope, M.D., Vice Chair of Clinical Operations and Strategy in the Department of Radiology. “With existing results using Actinium-225 DOTATATE suggesting clinical benefit, we are excited to be moving this therapy forward in the ACTION-1 study.” The Phase 3 trial is…

27Jul 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Survival Outcomes in Metastatic Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients receiving Concomitant 225Ac-DOTATATE Targeted Alpha Therapy and Capecitabine: A Real-world Scenario Management Based Long-term Outcome Study

Clinical Trials

Introduction I've written about both 225Ac-DOTATATE targeted alpha therapy (TAT) and Capecitabine before but never as a concomitant pair (combo). So, when this Indian study came up on my radar, I felt it was a useful addition to my website adding to my existing targeted alpha therapy portfolio of information. India appears to be using more of this type of PRRT than any other country. Read more about targeted alpha therapy by clicking here or on the photo below. [caption id="attachment_12014" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Click on the photo to read[/caption] Read more about Capecitabine (combo with Temozolomide) by clicking here or on the photo below. [caption id="attachment_33477" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Click on the photo to read[/caption] The abstract from the Indian study is posted and cited below. Abstract Rationale: Although the short-term results…

19Jun 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Clinical Trial: Triapine and Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate for Neuroendocrine Tumors

Clinical Trials

What is PRRT? I'm guessing most of my readers know what Peptide Receptor Radiotherapy (PRRT) is. But for those new to this field, read more here What is Triapine? Triapine is a ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) inhibitor, I.e. it helps repair DNA. When I research this drug, I can see it is used in numerous examples of clinical trials in an anti-cancer setting alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy, in many cancers. Triapine in NET There is currently a trial of Triapine with Lutathera (PRRT) (11 major US hospitals). This study was testing the hypothesis that triapine is an effective radiation sensitizer that can be safely combined with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy and can improve antitumor activity of Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate, e.g. increase the objective response rate (ORR) above that found in…

20Jan 2022 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

External Validation of a Clinical Score for Patients With Neuroendocrine Tumors Under Consideration for Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy

Patient Advocacy, Treatment

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) has been around for a while and doctors are learning all the time about the most likely candidates. Selection of candidates and predictions on who will benefit most are still not an exact science (....and possibly never will be). Neuroendocrine Neoplasms are a heterogenous grouping of cancers, and heterogeneity also includes (but is not limited to) age, stage, gender, functional/non-functional, and pre-existing condition constraints. All of this complicates the task of therapeutic decision-making and sequencing. The attached cohort study aims to bound the issue and describe a method of allocating a Clinical Score (CS) to assist doctors and patients in their decision-making. According to the lead author, the CS is the initial prognostic score to help NET patients anticipate expected benefit from PRRT and is…

09Jan 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Clinical Trial: Lutathera and ASTX727 in Neuroendocrine Tumours (LANTana)

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy, Treatment

What is the aim of this clinical trial?The aim of this single location trial in Imperial College London is to determine whether pre-treatment with ASTX727 results in re-expression of SSTR2 in patients with metastatic NETs, using 68Ga-DOTA-TATE to image epigenetic modification of the SSTR2 locus allowing subsequent treatment with Lutathera(i.e. PRRT). Patients entered into the study will receive ASTX727 orally up to 3 to 8 days prior to receiving Lutathera treatment. What is ASTX727?Oral Decitabine and Cedazuridine (ASTX727) is a DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor currently being used in a trial to facilitate oral treatment of certain drugs for adults with intermediate and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).This is extremely technical, but from a study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London, they acknowledged that significant number of…

23Nov 2021 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

177Lu-DOTA-LM3 – a novel radionuclide therapy proven safe and effective to treat neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN)

Clinical Trials, Treatment

Update 10th May 2023 - This study has now progressed to a formal clinical trial based in Basel Switzerland. Read by clicking here or on the picture below: [caption id="attachment_42803" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Click on the picture to read more[/caption] A new type of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been shown to control disease in 85 percent of patients with metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms, achieving complete remission in some patients. The first-in-human study utilized 177Lu-DOTA-LM3 therapy, which was administered without severe adverse effects and was well tolerated by the majority of patients. This research was published in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (see citing below). Conclusion: The antagonist PRRT with 177Lu-DOTA-LM3 could be administered without severe adverse effects and was well tolerated by most patients, with thrombocytopenia occurring in only a…

21Sep 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Lutetium 177Lu-Edotreotide Versus Best Standard of Care in Well-differentiated Aggressive Grade-2 and Grade-3 GastroEnteroPancreatic NeuroEndocrine Tumors (GEP-NETs) – (COMPOSE)

Clinical Trials

Garching / Munich, October 27, 2022 ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company Fast Track designation for ITM-11 (n.c.a. 177Lu-edotreotide), an investigational radiopharmaceutical for the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). ITM-11 is being evaluated as a Targeted Radionuclide Therapy in two phase III clinical trials, COMPETE and COMPOSE. The FDA Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and address an unmet medical need. The purpose is to bring new and promising medicines to patients sooner. The Fast Track designation enables ITM to have more frequent interactions with the FDA to discuss the ITM-11 development path. It also allows rolling review of the new drug application (NDA)…

18Sep 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

New Clinical Trial – Testing Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate in Patients With Somatostatin Receptor Positive Advanced Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors

Clinical Trials

When I see a trial for Gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEPNETs), I know that BP (Bronchopulmonary) NETs (includes Lung) are not included. When you look at the approval wording for the major treatments in use (PRRT Lutathera, Lanreotide), they appear to use the term GEPNETs making BP NETs the poor relative. Clearly there’s highly complex reasons why NETs react differently in different parts of the body. I can see that BP NET patients were involved in clinical trials for both of the mainstream treatments listed above. The drug approval process is also highly complex, and I can see from the wording that functional BP NETs with carcinoid syndrome can qualify at least for somatostatin analogues (Lanreotide and Octreotide). That is not to say BP NET patients cannot get access to these treatments, I…

11Sep 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Neuroendocrine Tumors: Targeted Therapies – Update from NET Specialist Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center – August 2021

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Treatment

Background. For those who want a quick run through of Neuroendocrine Tumors from diagnosis to selection of treatment, about the treatments themselves plus what is the Future Directions in the Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors. There are 8 episodes, and each is around 3-5 minutes long. I personally found them very useful and in a language understandable to patients. Great job by OncLive and Dr Reidy-Lagunes! Episode 1 - Understanding the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neuroendocrine Tumors Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, provides an overview of neuroendocrine tumors, along with specific considerations for optimal diagnosis and prognostication. Understanding the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neuroendocrine Tumors (onclive.com) Episode 2 - Neuroendocrine Tumor Pathogenesis and Molecular Testing Expert insight on the pathogenesis of neuroendocrine tumors and the best use of molecular testing to inform treatment decisions.Neuroendocrine Tumor Pathogenesis…

13Jul 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Every picture tells a story (point, click, read)

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Diet and Nutrition, Inspiration, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Newsletters, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Treatment

I always try to use graphics for a number of pictures, I admit mainly to catch people's attention but also because sometimes a picture on its own tells a story or at least provides a great introduction to one. If the picture catches your eye, clicking on will take you to the text. This post will auto update as new blogs are published. thanks for reading and sharing! Scroll, point, click, read, share! Click here and answer all questions to join my private Facebook group Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Thanks for reading. Ronny I’m also active on Facebook. Like my page for even more news. Help me build up my new site here –…

10May 2021 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Neuroendocrine Tumour (VMT-𝛼-NET) programs

Clinical Trials

Viewpoint Molecular Targeting Announces First Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients Dosed with Therapeutic IntentJan 23, 2023In early December, VMT-α-NET, the Company’s lead drug for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors was administered to patients in India on a compassionate use basis, independent of a planned US trialNo acute adverse reactions were observed in the first 10 days post administration and patients remain stable and in good conditionCORALVILLE, Iowa –Viewpoint Molecular Targeting®, Inc., a precision oncology company developing alpha-particle therapies and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, today announced the first dosing of two neuroendocrine tumor patients with therapeutic intent. VMT-α-NET, which is being developed for the treatment and diagnosis of somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) expressing neuroendocrine tumors, was administered to the patients in early December. The dosed patients were diagnosed with confirmed-advanced somatostatin expressing…

15Apr 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

A Diagnostic Imaging Study of 64Cu-SARTATE™ for Neuroendocrine Tumours

Clinical Trials

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email We probably should start to use the term "Somatostatin Receptor PET" (SSTR PET) a bit more. We got used to using the term Ga68 PET but since then we have an approved copper version known as 64Cu Dotatate (commercial brand name in US DETECTNET™). Now we have another in the clinical trial pipeline and will add others as they come onto my radar.Ga68 Dotatate/TOC/NOC - click hereCu64 Dotatate (DetectNET) - click hereA Diagnostic Imaging Study of 64Cu-SARTATE™ Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) on Patients With Known or Suspected NETsReference: NCT04438304Trial status: RecruitingThe purpose of this study is to assess the performance of imaging agent 64Cu-SARTATE in participants with known or suspected Gastroenteropancreatic…

07Mar 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Treatment for Neuroendocrine Cancer – a summary for patients

Treatment

ScopeThis summary provides an overview of the types of therapy known for treating Neuroendocrine Cancer. They will have been approved at least by one national or regional approval agency, may not be available or approved in your own country; and may appear in clinical guidelines for the treatment of Neuroendocrine Cancer.Clinical trials will not be covered, although it's noted that some of the approved treatments listed may be in follow on trials either to prove new coverage or used in combination with another drug. For a list of clinical trials covered by the author, click here. This summary will not include complementary or alternative treatment but may cover or overlap with experimental treatment. Who recommends the best treatment for my condition? Different types of doctors often work together to create a…

21Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Somatostatin Receptor Positive Advanced Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors – PRRT vs Everolimus

Clinical Trials

When I see a trial for Gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEPNETs), I know that BP (Bronchopulmonary) NETs (includes Lung) are not included. When you look at the approval wording for the major treatments in use (PRRT Lutathera, Lanreotide), they appear to use the term GEPNETs making BP NETs the poor relative. Clearly there's highly complex reasons why NETs react differently in different parts of the body. I can see that BP NET patients were involved in clinical trials for both of the mainstream treatments listed above. The drug approval process is also highly complex, and I can see from the wording that functional BP NETs with carcinoid syndrome can qualify at least for somatostatin analogues (Lanreotide and Octreotide). That is not to say BP NET patients cannot get access to these treatments,…

13Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Selecting patients and the Challenges of Evaluating Response to PRRT in GEPNETs: The Present and the Future

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy, Treatment

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Fascinating article from the Italian NET scientific community. This article is more than just what the title says, it provides overviews on many facets of NETs including markers, scans and PRRT itself. It covers how to select patients for PRRT in the first place, i.e. who is most likely to get a good response to this treatment and then look at how to track and assess that response. The important thing I gathered from reading is that none of this is a precise science, there are too many variables. And while this article focusses on the clinical factors, there can of course be non-clinical factors in play in different countries…

18Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

My interview with ITM – I’m still here!

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email I was delighted to be contacted by ITM AG, a Germany based pharmaceutical company specialising in targeted radionuclide technology in precision oncology (e.g. Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy - PRRT). The company is formally known as ITM Isotopen Technologien München.One of their pipeline developments is 177Lu-Edotreotide / Solucin® in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of gastroenteric or pancreatic origin (GEP-NET). The development is via the COMPETE Phase III Clinical Trial which is being conducted worldwide in 11 countries at 33 sites and is open for recruitment. I actually wrote about this trial after attending a workshop at the annual ENETS conference in 2018.I was delighted when they wanted to interview me to…

25Feb 2020 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Clinical Trial: Lu-177 DOTATOC (PRRT) in adult subjects with Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) positive Pulmonary, Pheochromocytoma, Paraganglioma, Unknown primary, and Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Clinical Trials

Excellent news for those who don't have Gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEP-NETs). A trial of PRRT is being set-up for the less common types of NET including those with an unknown primary. Using the DOTATOC radionuclide rather than the Lutathera model of using DOTATATE, this trial will cater for Pulmonary, Pheochromoctyoma, Paraganlioma, Unknown Primary and Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumours.Excel Diagnostics and Nuclear Oncology Center (EDNOC) announced today that its physician sponsored Investigational New Drug (IND) application to evaluate safety and efficacy of Lu-177 DOTATOC in adult subjects with Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expressing Pulmonary, Pheochromocytoma, Paraganglioma, Unknown primary, and Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumors (PUT-NET), has received approval to proceed by USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and also charge authorization has been granted (IND#143631, NCT04276597). This IND is anticipated to start enrolling patients by early…

03Jul 2018 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

Clinical trial of 177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE – Long-lasting radionuclide therapy for advanced neuroendocrine tumors

Clinical Trials

Update April 2023There is now an interventional Phase 1 clinical trial of this PRRT variant happening in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States, 10065, contact Contact: Lisa Bodei, MD, PhDThe clinical trial document is here NCT05475210 - this is a small trial (9 participants) and make sure you check the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Click here:177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE in Untreated (Naïve) Adult Patients With Advanced, Well- Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.govIn the NewsUpdate in March 2021. Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. (MTTI), a clinical stage radiopharmaceutical therapy company, announced the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It enables a Phase I clinical study of the Safety and Dosimetry of its lead product, EBTATE (177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE),…

10Jan 2018 by Ronny Allan 10 Comments

Targeted Alpha-emitter Therapy (TAT) – the wave of the future in nuclear oncology/PRRT?

Clinical Trials

What is Targeted Alpha-emitter Therapy?Regular PRRT which is authorised for use now, i.e. Lutathera/Lu177 is a beta therapy. Targeted Alpha Therapy is based on the coupling of alpha particle emitting radioisotopes to tumour selective carrier molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies or peptides. These molecules have the ability to selectively target tumour cells even if they are spread throughout the body. They recognize the targeted cancer cells through antigens that are expressed on the cell surface and can bind selectively to these cells, similar a key fitting into a lock. In targeted alpha therapy these carrier molecules serve as vehicles to transport the radioisotopes to the cancer cells. This is called the "magic bullet" approach. Radioisotopes that emit alpha particles seem particularly promising to selectively destroy cancer cells. Alpha particles have…

19May 2017 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments

ASCO 2017 – Let’s talk about NETs #ASCO17

Clinical Trials

ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) is one of the biggest cancer conferences in the world normally bringing together more than 30,000 oncology professionals from around the world to discuss state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new therapies, and ongoing controversies in the field. As Neuroendorine Tumors is on a roll in terms of new treatments and continued research, we appear to be well represented with over 20 'extracts' submitted for review and display. This is fairly complex stuff but much of it will be familiar to many. I've filtered and extracted all the Neuroendocrine stuff into one list providing you with an easy to peruse table of contents, complete with relevant linkages if you need to read more. For many the extract title and conclusion will be sufficiently educational or at least…

21Feb 2017 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Recent Progress in NET Management – Positive presentation from Jonathan R Strosberg MD

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Treatment

I recently wrote a blog called Neuroendocrine Cancer – Exciting Times Ahead! I wrote that on a day I was feeling particularly positive and at the time, I wanted to share that positivity with you. I genuinely believe there's a lot of great things happening. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot still to be done, particularly in the area of diagnosis and quality of life after being diagnosed. However, this is a really great message from a well-known NET expert. In an interview with OncLive, Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, associate professor at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, discussed his presentation on NETs at a recent 2016 Symposium, and shed light on the progress that has been made in this treatment landscape. OncLive: Please highlight some of the main points from your…

18Jan 2017 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments

Theranostics for Neuroendocrine Cancer – A Find and Destroy Mission

Awareness, Clinical Trials, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Treatment

[caption id="attachment_14426" width="1200"] Courtesy of Pashtoon Kasi MD on Twitter https://twitter.com/pashtoonkasi/status/1078675398601396224[/caption] Theranostics is a joining of the words therapeutics and diagnostics. You may also see it conveyed as 'Theragnostics' and these terms are interchangeable. The basic aim of theranotistics is to find and then destroy the 'bad guys'. With Neuroendocrine Cancer, finding the tumours (the bad guys) can often be a challenge - they can be small and/or difficult to find - they are sometimes expert at camouflage. Moreover, once found, they can then be difficult to treat (destroy), as they can often prove resistant to conventional cancer drugs and many are inoperable due to sheer quantity, spread and positioning. When they are found and identified, it's also really helpful to know from the intelligence gathered, how successful the destroy…

16Nov 2016 by Ronny Allan 16 Comments

“You must be doing OK, you’ve not had chemotherapy”

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment

If there's a word which is synonymous with cancer, it's chemotherapy. It's what most people have in their mind when they are talking to a cancer patient...... 'have you had chemotherapy' or 'when do you start chemotherapy'.I was nonchalantly asked by a friend some time ago 'how did you get on with chemotherapy' - he was surprised to hear I hadn't had it despite my widespread disease. Cue - lengthy explanation! I wasn't annoyed by the question; I just think people automatically assume every cancer patient must undergo some form of systemic chemotherapy. If you read any newspaper article about cancer, they do nothing to dispel that myth, as many articles contain a story about a cancer patient with no hair.Sure, chemotherapy is not the nicest treatment to receive, and it does…

02Nov 2016 by Ronny Allan 9 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – Exciting Times Ahead!

Inspiration, Survivorship, Treatment

In the last 12-24 months, there seems to have been announcement after announcement of new and/or upgraded/enhanced diagnostics and treatment types for Neuroendocrine Cancer. Scans, radionuclide therapies, combination therapies, somatostatin analogues, biological therapies, etc. Some of the announcements are just expansions of existing therapies having been approved in new (but significant) regions. Compared to some other cancers, even those which hit the headlines often, we appear to be doing not too badly. However, the pressure needs to stay on, all patients need access to the best diagnostics and treatments for them; and at the requisite time. There's even more in the pipeline and I'm hoping to continue to bring you news of new stuff as I have been doing for the last year. Some of these new diagnostics and treatments will benefit eligible patients who are…

25Jul 2016 by Ronny Allan 21 Comments

Somatostatin Receptors

Awareness, Treatment

Don't understand Somatostatin Receptors? Join the club! I got my head around the term 'Somatostatin' and 'Somatostatin Analogues' some time ago but the term 'Somatostatin Receptor' (SSTR) is still a bit of a mystery. SSTRs do come up in conversation quite often and I'm fed up of nodding sagely hoping it will eventually become clear! On analysis it looks like a technical subject - and therefore a challenge.I've taken a logical approach working from 'Somatostatin' to 'Somatostatin Analogue' before commencing on the 'receptor' bit. It is intentionally brief and (hopefully) simplistic!SomatostatinIt's important to understand this hormone and then why your 'butt dart' is generically called a 'Somatostatin Analogue'.Some Neuroendocrine Tumours secrete hormones and peptides that cause distinct clinical syndromes, including but not limited to, carcinoid syndrome.Somatostatin is a naturally occurring…

20May 2016 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Clinical Trial: PRRT and Chemo combination therapy

Clinical Trials

Update 2022: Trial complete. Results:The final results of this trial were presented at ASCO 2022 where it was concluded as follows:"CONTROL NETs is the first randomized trial to demonstrate efficacy for PRRT in pNETs, in addition to a standard of care. Extended follow up confirms durable CAPTEM/PRRT activity, with superior PFS in pNETs. Late haematologic toxicity was seen in both mNET PRRT arms but was not higher with additional CAPTEM. The activity of CAPTEM/PRRT in pNETs should be tested in the phase III setting" - click here to read the abstract. Combination treatments are common in chemotherapy, but this trial was different as it effectively combined the use of different therapies both with their own toxicity risks, albeit low in each therapy type. The use of PRRT and chemo (in particular…

07Sep 2015 by Ronny Allan 11 Comments

PRRT and the NHS England Cancer Drugs Fund (now archived information)

Treatment

[caption id="attachment_3922" align="aligncenter" width="425"] cost cutting vs life cutting?[/caption] Please note this post is now historic information - PRRT (Lutathera) was eventually approved for use in UK. See the following post for the very latest on PRRT worldwide - CLICK HERE I was extremely disappointed to learn of the decision to remove PRRT (Lutetium or Yttrium) from the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). You can read the detail of the decision here: CDF Statement. PRRT has regularly been described by NET specialists and patients as the "magic bullet" due to its potential to shrink or kill tumours. This is the second Neuroendocrine Cancer treatment to be withdrawn this year, after the earlier decision on Everolimus (Afinitor) in April . In fact, the recent cuts to the CDF were described in the…