Pluvicto and being proactive with advanced prostate cancer

I thought it would be beneficial that I give some insight to those battling ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER so they may be proactive. My husband turned to PLUVICTO as a last resort and was extremely positive about the possibilities. Below I am sharing his six-month fight with PLUVICTO and experience that I addressed with an email to his doctors after he passed.

It is with a heavy heart that I reach out to all the doctors and health care professionals that treated my husband these past years and notify that he passed away on Saturday, April 15th. Furthermore, I believe it is my obligation to stress the importance of continuous scans, and aggressive follow-ups for patients receiving PLUVICTO. On 10/31/2022 my husband began treatment and immediately his side effect was diarrhea, which is common for many cancer treatments, nevertheless for this type of radiation. However, everyone was hopeful that with time this side effect would stabilize, and days became weeks and weeks became months even while taking prescription meds. After four months of persistent diarrhea, we discovered my husband had C.Diff.

For this reason, patients with detrimental side effects should immediately be tested and if it is related to the GI tract there should be a quicker avenue for immediate referrals and appointments. Keep in mind that doctors refer you to a GI specialist and an appointment may take weeks or even months. In our case, after reaching out to four GI doctors from Baptist which had no availability for months, even when explaining the circumstances, I called Dr. Cristian Andrade who is my GI, and my husband was scheduled as an emergency. In addition, his stool results (C.Diff) took at least two weeks due to an internal issue with the lab.

After three sessions of Pluvicto, due to my husband’s significant weight loss (65 pounds), deterioration and progression of the disease concluded by a scan done at Mount Sinai Hospital on 3/10/22 we agreed to stop treatment. As a result of months of radiation proctitis and C.Diff which caused extensive diarrhea and lack of nutrition because of the discomfort as well as extreme fatigue; it led to Necrotizing Fasciitis that developed in his colon and rectal area. We learned about this bacterium by a CT scan on April 8th when we went to the ER which brought upon an emergent debridement of the area that extended to his bowels. The resulting wound of my husband was so large and deep that the pain from performing wound care every twelve hours sounded inhumane, it was like he was being tortured or burned alive. In fact, he had to be kept in the ICU so they could administer Fentanyl & Versed for wound care and even then, he was still in agonizing pain. Eventually, my husband decided on comfort measures because he would require surgical intervention for placement of a colostomy for the wound to properly heal, which he could not handle.

I consider that each day brings a new teachable moment, and I wanted everyone to learn of my husband’s journey these past six months. I know that the end result would have been the same due to his advanced prostate cancer, but what my husband endured was brutal in 2023. A million thanks to all those that brought him a smile and optimism because you gave him hope. We never thought he would almost make it to four years due to statistics. I consider that my husband was blessed and received the best possible care through the years. He always thought of those worst off and younger battling cancers. Therefore, I created a fund in his honor to help others less fortunate. All proceeds will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Zero Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.