{"id":7976,"date":"2024-12-19T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7976"},"modified":"2024-12-19T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T15:30:00","slug":"lebanon-va-treating-cancer-patients-with-theranostics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7976","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon VA treating cancer patients with theranostics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-12-19T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

A groundbreaking advance from Lebanon VA<\/a> uses a new type of treatment for Veterans suffering from metastatic cancers and neuroendocrine tumors. This new treatment is called theranostics, a specialized field of medical practice within nuclear medicine that uses a two-pronged approach to diagnose and treat cancer.<\/p>\n

Theranostics uses isotopes of lutetium 177 to specifically attack the cancer cells by destroying the DNA of the cancer cells while leaving the host cells completely untouched. This specialized approach allows physicians to directly attack the cancers affecting the Veteran without compromising the whole system.<\/p>\n

\u201cChemotherapy is an attack on the whole system in an attempt to kill the cancer cells,\u201d said Dr. Adwao Essel, nuclear medicine physician. \u201cTheranostic medicine allows us to directly get at the cancer cells with little to no effect on the whole system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where chemotherapy is akin to a full military assault, theranostic treatments act more as a special forces unit for specific missions.<\/p>\n

Little side effects are felt by the patient<\/h2>\n

The process begins for patients by scheduling a prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) pet scan to accurately map the locations of cancer cells within the human body. During the scan, a patient is provided isotopes which travel through the body and seek out the DNA of specific cancers since PSMA antigens are released by these cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After mapping the locations of these cells throughout the body, the patient is then provided isotopes of lutetium 177. This slightly larger molecule will actively seek out the mapped locations through the PSMA antigens that are released. This allows the nuclear medicine to identify and destroy the DNA of each of those cells. Through the use of this targeted medical procedure, little side effects are felt by the patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was scared, you know, who wouldn\u2019t be?\u201d said Bruce Bomburger, a Vietnam-era Veteran and theranostic therapy recipient. \u201cI was scared to lose my hair and appetite. But that never happened. I never had any of those side affects you always hear about. I am so thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGave me a lot more time with my family.<\/h2>\n

Theranostic treatments do not cure cancer, but they do extend the length and quality of life for those who may need other treatment options. \u201cNo, it didn\u2019t cure my cancer,\u201d said Bomburger. \u201cBut it gave me a lot more time with my family. For that I couldn\u2019t be happier because there is no other reason to be here other than family. VA really helped me here. I recommend this treatment to anyone who needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FDA has approved the use of theranostic medicine as a third-line treatment for these types of cancers. As such, most patients will have to use hormone and chemotherapies prior to being permitted to receive treatment with theranostic procedures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the private sector, the necessity to go through these steps for treatments can create a myriad of paperwork and often times be confusing for patients,\u201d said Essel. \u201cBy comparison, in VA, we are able to identify patients who would be ideal candidates for this procedure and move them through our system with much less stress for the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Theranostics is a specialized field of nuclear medicine that uses a two-pronged approach to diagnose and treat cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nLebanon VA treating cancer patients with theranostics - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Theranostics is a specialized field of nuclear medicine that uses a two-pronged approach to diagnose and treat cancer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7976\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lebanon VA treating cancer patients with theranostics - 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