Prostate cancer treatment with Purvict
Our hospital plans to begin treating prostate cancer using Pulvict Injection (Novartis Pharma K.K.) in January 2026. Pulvict is a new prostate cancer treatment that combines a compound (ligand) that collects in prostate cancer cells with a therapeutic radionuclide (radioactive isotope lutetium-177).
What is radioligand therapy with Pulvict?
Unlike conventional radiation therapy (treatment that exposes the body to radiation from outside), this treatment involves injecting drugs intravenously, which then emit radiation inside the body to attack cancer cells.
Pulvict is a drug (ligand) that binds to PSMA, a marker commonly found on the surface of prostate cancer cells, to which a radioactive substance (lutetium-177) is attached.
This drug mainly binds to prostate cancer cells that have PSMA, and emits radiation (beta rays) near the binding site, destroying the cancer cells. Because it does not bind easily to normal cells, it is expected to have minimal impact on the surrounding area (although this does not mean that there is no impact at all).
Beta rays can reach a maximum distance of 2.2 mm (less than 1 mm on average) within the body, so they are thought to have little effect on normal cells surrounding cancer cells.
Who is eligible for Pulvict treatment?
- The target patients are those with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), who are positive for PSMA (a marker often found on the surface of prostate cancer cells) and whose cancer has spread to other organs, bones, etc.
- To determine whether PSMA is positive, a "PSMA-PET test" (a test that uses images to check for the presence of PSMA) is performed in advance to confirm that PSMA is positive.
- In addition, patients with any of the following medical histories are eligible:
- (1) Patients who have used one type of novel androgen receptor signal inhibitor (ARSI) and have not undergone chemotherapy (anticancer drug treatment)
- (2) Patients who have used ARSI and also received chemotherapy
Schedule of Purvikt treatment
Pulvict is administered every six weeks for up to six injections. Patients will need to stay in hospital for a few days after the injections. The total treatment period is approximately eight months.
How to get a consultation
If you would like to receive radioligand therapy using Pulvict, please visit our Urology and consult with us.
If your regular hospital does not offer this treatment, please consult your doctor and ask them to refer you to our hospital.
We do not accept reservations from individual patients.
*After your consultation, doctor will make a comprehensive judgment on whether treatment is appropriate based on the examination and test results.
*As there are only a limited number of wards that can handle this treatment, even if you are eligible for this treatment, you may have to wait until treatment begins.
