Understanding LUTATHERA

What is Lu 177?

Lu 177, or Lutetium 177, is the radioactive particle in LUTATHERA. The full name of the LUTATHERA molecule is lutetium Lu 177 dotatate.

What is LUTATHERA?

LUTATHERA is a prescription medicine. It is used to treat adults and children aged 12 years and older with a type of cancer known as gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).

How does LUTATHERA work?

LUTATHERA works by delivering a small but powerful dose of radiation to specific cancer cells.

What are the eligibility criteria for LUTATHERA?

You may be eligible if:

• You are SSTR+
• Your NETs are fast growing and/or progressing
• You are newly diagnosed or have received an SSA

Is LUTATHERA chemotherapy?

No, LUTATHERA is not a chemotherapy. It is a type of treatment called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). PRRTs can target a specific protein on cancer cells. They then deliver a small but powerful dose of radiation to those cancer cells. Most NETs have SSTRs on the surface of their cells. LUTATHERA harnesses and delivers the power of radiation to SSTR+ NET cells.

What are the most common side effects of LUTATHERA?

The most common and most serious side effects of LUTATHERA include:

• Decreased blood cell counts
• Increased liver enzymes
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Increased blood glucose
• Decreased blood potassium levels

There are other possible side effects of LUTATHERA. Talk to your care team if you experience any side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch ↗, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

How is LUTATHERA administered?

LUTATHERA is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion for 4 doses, once every 8 weeks. A long-acting SSA is also given as an intramuscular (IM) injection 4 to 24 hours after each dose of LUTATHERA. After your last dose of LUTATHERA, you may continue receiving a long-acting SSA every 4 weeks for 18 months after starting treatment with LUTATHERA. Follow your doctor’s instructions for treatment.

Where can you receive LUTATHERA?

You will receive LUTATHERA at a treatment center near you. To find your local treatment center, visit the Treatment Center Locator.

What can you expect before each dose?

Before each dose of LUTATHERA, you will receive a medicine that helps with vomiting or an upset stomach that you may experience. Thirty minutes before you are given LUTATHERA, you will receive an amino acid infusion. This will help protect your kidneys.

What can you expect during each infusion?

Each LUTATHERA infusion takes 30 to 40 minutes. When your LUTATHERA infusion is done, you will continue the amino acid infusion for at least 3 hours after. Your care team will monitor you and let you know when it’s safe to leave the treatment center that day.

What can you expect after each dose?

Radiation will be present in your body, blood, and urine right after LUTATHERA treatment. Your care team will provide you and your loved ones with next steps to help reduce radiation exposure to those around you. Some helpful tips include limiting close contact (less than 3 feet) with others after each dose, staying hydrated, sleeping in a separate bedroom, and showering daily.

Your care team will also schedule regular blood work and other tests to see how you are doing on treatment. These tests can tell them if you are having side effects and will help them give you the care you need.

Can LUTATHERA be taken with other treatments?

Your doctor will decide on the best treatment plan for you. It’s important to discuss all treatments and medications with your doctor. This will help ensure there are no interactions.

What support and resources are available during LUTATHERA treatment?

Novartis Patient Support™ can connect you with financial assistance, support groups, and educational materials. Contact Novartis Patient Support for more information.

Understanding NETs

Here are some questions you should ask your health care provider and reasons why. 

Where are my neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) located?

LUTATHERA is used to treat NET cancers that start in the digestive system or in the pancreas. This includes the stomach, small intestine, colon, appendix, and rectum.

What are some signs of progression I should look out for?

NETs are usually slow growing, but some NETs can grow and spread faster. When NETs silently grow and spread over time, it is called progression.

What is the grade of my NETs?

NETs with a higher Ki-67 score are faster growing and have a higher grade. LUTATHERA has been shown to help slow progression in people with high Ki-67 scores.

What stage are my NETs?

LUTATHERA was studied in patients who had NETs that spread to the lymph nodes or other organs. People who couldn’t have surgery to remove their cancer were also included.
If your cancer grew or spread, or if you still have symptoms, somatostatin analogue (SSA) treatment may not be enough. LUTATHERA was proven to slow down NET progression in patients whose cancer progressed while on SSA treatment.

What are SSTRs?

Somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) are proteins on the surface of NETs. Most NETs have a higher-than-normal amount of these proteins. If your doctor says you are somatostatin receptor-positive (SSTR+), it means that your tumors have these proteins.

Am I SSTR+?

LUTATHERA works by targeting SSTRs on NET cells, so it is important to know if your cancer is SSTR+. You can find this out by taking an SSTR imaging test.

 

Important words to know

Knowing what these words mean can help you have a conversation with your health care team about your disease and LUTATHERA:

Amino acid infusion: an infusion of protein building blocks to help protect the kidneys during radiation treatment

Beta radiation: a type of radiation shown to kill cancer cells

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (GEP-NET): a type of cancer that comes from the neuroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract (such as the stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, or appendix) or the pancreas

Grade: how normal or abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope. The more abnormal a cancer cell looks, the more aggressive it is and the higher the grade

Hormone: a chemical produced in the body that travels through your bloodstream to help regulate body functions

Intramuscular (IM): an injection into a muscle

Ki-67: a protein in actively dividing cells, used to assess the rate of cell growth and determine tumor grade 

Kidneys: organs that filter waste from the body

Lymph nodes: bean-shaped tissues that filter fluid in your body for harmful substances or cells

Neuroendocrine cells: cells that regulate body function through hormones and other messengers

Neuroendocrine tumor (NET): a tumor that comes from cells that release hormones into the blood in response to a signal from the nervous system

Overall response rate (ORR): the percentage of people whose cancer got smaller or disappeared in response to treatment

Pancreas: a gland behind your stomach that releases enzymes that help with digestion and hormones to regulate blood sugar

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT): a type of treatment that specifically targets neuroendocrine tumors by binding to proteins on the surface of tumor cells and destroying them

Progression: when cancer becomes worse or spreads throughout the body

Progression-free survival (PFS): a measure of the amount of time during and after treatment that a patient lives without their cancer progressing

Somatostatin analogue (SSA): a man-made drug that mimics the natural hormone somatostatin

Somatostatin receptor (SSTR): a protein on the surface of cells that binds to a hormone called somatostatin, which helps control the release of other hormones

SSTR imaging: a scan your doctor will run to see if your cancer cells have SSTRs. You may have heard this referred to as a gallium/copper positron emission tomography (PET) scan

Stage: how large a cancer is and how far it has spread to other parts of the body

Targeted radiation: treatment that uses radiation to precisely destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells