Israeli Patient’s Advanced Prostate Cancer Disappears After Lutetium-177 Treatment

Gonen Klein, a 66-year-old resident of Kibbutz Degania B, has fully recovered from metastatic prostate cancer that had spread to his bones and other organs following treatment at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed. After undergoing a series of therapies using the radioactive agent Lutetium-177 PSMA at the center’s Nuclear Medicine Institute, imaging tests showed no evidence of disease, and his PSA blood levels dropped to zero. Doctors were surprised by the complete disappearance of the malignant tumor and its metastases.

The Lutetium-177 treatment is a form of targeted nuclear medicine that binds to a protein highly expressed on cancer cells, delivering radiation directly to the tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. This outpatient therapy, included in Israel’s national health basket, is primarily intended for patients with metastatic prostate cancer that has progressed despite hormonal or chemotherapy treatments.

Dr. Israel Sandler, head of the Nuclear Medicine Institute at Ziv, who introduced the treatment to Israel after training in Italy, explained that the therapy’s main advantage is its precise targeting of cancer cells. While it often slows disease progression and improves quality of life, Klein’s case showed an exceptional response. The institute uses the advanced Veriton SPECT imaging system, unique in Israel, to accurately plan and monitor treatment.

Klein described the results as "unbelievable" and an emotional moment for him and his family. He urged other men to undergo simple blood tests for early cancer detection. His wife, Rivka Klein, expressed gratitude for the treatment’s success and emphasized the importance of making such advanced therapies accessible in northern Israel. Professor Salman Zarka, director of Ziv Medical Center, highlighted the center’s goal to reduce healthcare disparities by providing cutting-edge treatments close to patients’ homes, eliminating the need for long travel.