
Theranostics and Nuclear Oncology
FDA approved treatments available for:
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Prostate cancer
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Neuroendocrine tumors
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Thyroid cancer
Ushering in the new golden age for Nuclear Medicine is Theranostics.
This concept combines the terms therapeutics and diagnostics to describe a cutting edge technology which allows physicians to first visualize cancer with a radioctive drug and then treat that cancer with a different form of the same drug. These drugs are called radiotracers as they are composed of a radioactive source attached to a small molecule which only binds to select targets on cancer cells. The small molecule component for the imaging and therapy agents are nearly identical, while the imaging and therapy radioactive components are different - one for imaging (such as in a PET-CT scan) and one for therapy (delivering high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells).
Frequently asked questions
Dr. Cassuto currently offers the follow therapies, and offers these therapies to dialysis patients.
Lutathera Therapy
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Indicated for the treatment of progressive gastroenteropancreatic (stomach, gut, or pancrease origin) neuroendocrine tumor
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Off label use for difficult to treat paraganglioms, including metestatic paraganglioma
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Administered every 8 weeks for 4 total doses
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Requires identification of neuroendocrine tumor receptor positive disease on a Dotatate PET-CT
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Administered as part of an ~4-4.5 hour infusion protocol within the outpatient infusion center at Overlook Medical Center


Pluvicto Therapy
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Indicated for the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancer
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Administered every 6 weeks for 6 total doses
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Requires identification of prostate cancer on a PSMA PET-CT
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Administered as a 1- minute infusion within the nuclear medicine department at Overlook Medical Center (outpatient)
I-131 (Radioactive iodine)
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Indicated for the treatment of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer (treating known disease or thyroid remnant) and hyperthyroidism secondary to Grave's disease or toxic thyroid nodule(s)
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Administered as a pill within the nuclear medicine department at Overlook Medical Center (outpatient)


Xofigo Therapy
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Indicated for the treatment of symptomatic bone metastasis in advanced
prostate cancer -
Administered every 4 weeks for 6 total doses
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Requires identification of bone metastasis on imaging, such as nuclear
medicine bone scan -
Administered as a 1- minute infusion within the nuclear medicine department
at Overlook Medical Center (outpatient)
