As regional leaders in prostate cancer care, Roper St. Francis Healthcare offers comprehensive treatment for all stages of the disease. Now, we are pleased to be an authorized Pluvicto treatment center, offering this advanced option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
“There are only so many tools to use against mCRPC,” says David Ellison, MD, a board-certified hematologist-oncologist at Roper St. Francis Healthcare and former medical director of the Roper St. Francis Cancer Center. “Pluvicto is a welcome and important weapon to add to our armamentarium.”
Pluvicto is an intravenous drug containing a tracker that zeroes in on prostate-specific membrane antigen. Once it reaches the target, it binds to the cell and delivers a high-energy radioactive isotope to the site. “It’s a kind of Trojan horse that delivers a lethal payload into the prostate cancer cell,” Dr. Ellison says.
Initially, Pluvicto was approved for patients with mCRPC who had previously undergone chemotherapy. But in 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the treatment to mCRPC patients who have not had chemotherapy. Following the FDA’s expanded approval, Roper St. Francis began offering Pluvicto on site. Roper St. Francis patients can now receive the full spectrum of care under one roof, with an integrated care team that includes medical and radiation oncologists.
“Our multidisciplinary prostate cancer specialists work together to provide comprehensive care that puts patients first,” Dr. Ellison says. “With the addition of Pluvicto, our patients can now get this specialized treatment in a familiar community setting.”
Radioactive treatment, specialized expertise
Pluvicto’s recently expanded FDA approval is a welcome development for patients who either aren’t good candidates for chemotherapy or who want to avoid chemotherapy’s side effects, Dr. Ellison says. The treatment also remains a valuable option for men whose disease is progressing after chemotherapy.
“Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is a challenging disease. Pluvicto isn’t magic, but most patients will respond to the drug and it can extend the period that the cancer is controlled for months to over a year,” he says.
The treatment is typically given every 6 weeks for 4 to 6 treatments. Because it is a radioactive material, there are some unique precautions surrounding the drug. For several days after each infusion, patients are advised to refrain from sharing a bed or toilet with others and to avoid children and pregnant women.
The radioactive nature of the drug meant it was not immediately available everywhere. “Because it has a short half-life, its initial use was limited to locations within a certain distance of the cyclotron that produced the radioactive isotope,” Dr. Ellison explains. While manufacturing improvements have overcome that hurdle, the treatment can still only be offered in health systems with the necessary infrastructure and trained nuclear medicine experts.
Dr. Ellison encourages any patient with metastatic prostate cancer to get a referral to Roper St. Francis for evaluation, whether or not they are considering Pluvicto. “Pluvicto is just one tool in a continuum of tools to treat metastatic prostate cancer. As experts in prostate cancer management, we can help patients decide which options make the most sense at any given point along the treatment journey,” he says.
Prostate cancer care at Roper St. Francis
The Prostate Cancer program at Roper St. Francis offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary care, including clinical trials. The integrated program includes experts in urology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology, and boasts 5-year prostate cancer survival rates that exceed both state and national averages.
“We stand out because of our very conscientious, dedicated doctors,” Dr. Ellison says. “They are often trained at places of national renown, and they come to Roper – and often stay at Roper for their whole career – because of our commitment to leading-edge, compassionate care.”
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