There is new hope for prostate most cancers sufferers as Aga Khan University Hospital pioneers superior nuclear drugs remedy in Kenya on July 3, 2025.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) knowledge from 2020, prostate most cancers deaths in Kenya reached 1,292, representing 0.49% of complete deaths, with an age-adjusted demise charge of 24.17 per 100,000 inhabitants, rating Kenya 51st globally.
The establishment has launched PSMA PET CT imaging, which reinforces the precision of prostate most cancers analysis and staging. Additionally, by offering Lutetium-177 PSMA remedy, it has improved survival charges and high quality of life for most cancers sufferers, providing them a renewed probability at life.
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The Lutetium-177 PSMA remedy breakdown
The Lutetium-177 PSMA remedy, or Pluvicto, was previously approved by the FDA in March of 2022 to assist sufferers with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate most cancers, as of their situation, they now not reply to plain remedies resembling chemotherapy.
Prostate most cancers tumors regularly exhibit elevated ranges of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein that will increase as cancerous cells enhance. To ship this revolutionary nuclear therapy, a PSMA PET scan is carried out by injecting a radioactive tracer into the affected person’s vein, which then binds to PSMA proteins on most cancers cells to facilitate focused remedy.
The therapy goals to attenuate hurt to wholesome tissue close to the tumor whereas enhancing affected person survival charges, that are at the moment at 64.29%, indicating that roughly 35.71% of sufferers don’t survive throughout their analysis and therapy interval.
Aga Khan Hospital’s pioneering function in advancing healthcare innovation in Kenya
The Aga Khan Chief Executive Officer, Rashid Khalani, has introduced the introduction of Lutetium-177 PSMA remedy at their facility, highlighting a major development in prostate most cancers therapy in Kenya. This initiative goals to scale back the need for sufferers to hunt specialised medical care overseas, decreasing the monetary and emotional burden of worldwide journey.
Although Pluvicto has obtained world approval, its availability in Africa stays restricted, with entry restricted to just a few international locations, together with Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Ghana, leaving many sufferers in East Africa and the remainder of the area with out this therapy possibility.
Medical developments pioneered on the Aga Khan Hospital
“As a hospital, we’re dedicated to bringing essentially the most superior remedies to Kenya in order that we will considerably enhance affected person outcomes,” the Aga Khan Chief Executive Officer, Rashid Khalani, emphasised. This dedication is showcased by the hospital’s pioneering achievements, together with the set up of a state-of-the-art PET CT Scan and Cyclotron in 2018, a primary in East Africa. These superior diagnostic instruments have revolutionized the detection and monitoring of complicated situations resembling most cancers, coronary heart illness, and neurological issues, offering correct imaging to information efficient therapy plans.
This solidifies its management in medical innovation. The hospital launched Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET CT imaging, a specialised expertise that enhances the accuracy of prostate most cancers analysis and staging.
In 2020 alone, the hospital carried out a formidable 3,000 scans utilizing these superior imaging applied sciences, demonstrating its capability to fulfill the rising demand for high-quality diagnostic providers in Kenya and past.
