Lutetium treatment

Request 850564711​

How many patients in Jersey are currently prescribed the drug Lutetium Lu-177?​

Is this treatment given on Island or do the patients have to receive this in the UK only?

Is this treatment only for patients in a hospital, hospice or care home, or are patients still living in their own home also able to receive this treatment?

When did this treatment first start being used for Jersey residents?

From the the first year of using this treatment for Jersey residents, yearly how many residents have been on it for example if it was first brought in as a treatment for Jersey Residents in 2024, i would like to know how many people were treated with this in 2024, 2025 and this year 2026.

When handling/treating/caring for patients under this treatment what are the hygiene/safe practices advised to carers/nurses etc?

Is this likely to become more commonly used as a primary treatment for prostate cancer, or are other treatments still being administered first?

Respons​​e

Lutetium Lu-177 is not prescribed or administered in Jersey. Patients who require this radiopharmaceutical treatment are referred to specialist centres in the United Kingdom where assessment, prescribing and treatment take place. Lutetium Lu-177 is a targeted radioactive cancer treatment. It attaches to specific markers on cancer cells and delivers radiation directly to those cells, helping to destroy them while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue. It is administered by intravenous infusion in specialist nuclear medicine centres. Patients typically receive treatment as an outpatient and can usually return home (or, in the case of Jersey patients treated in the U.K., to their accommodation) the same day. Treatment is given in a series of cycles, usually every 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the indication.

Appropriate radiation safety precautions are required following treatment. Advice typically includes good hygiene, hydration, frequent urination, and adherence to guidance provided by the treating nuclear medicine department regarding contact with others and handling bodily fluids.

Lutetium Lu-177 is used for selected patients with advanced PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who meet specific eligibility criteria, usually after other standard treatments have been given. Surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and other systemic treatments remain the usual initial treatment options. Lutetium Lu-177 is also used for selected patients with certain neuroendocrine tumours following specialist assessment. It is not currently a first-line treatment for prostate cancer nor for neuro-endocrine cancers. There is no record indicating that this may change.

Health and Care Jersey (HCJ) does not hold a central register of Jersey residents receiving Lutetium Lu-177 treatment. Information on individual treatment regimens and care provided through tertiary centres is held within individual patient medical records and by the responsible clinical teams.

In total, five patients are recorded with HCJ’s Oncology and Urology responsible consultants as having this treatment since 2023, including those treated for neuroendocrine tumours and those who have privately funded treatment for prostate cancer. As numbers are small, no current or annual figures can be disclosed as individuals may be identifiable. Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied to protect the privacy of individuals.

Lutetium Lu-177 is not approved as a funded treatment for prostate cancer by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), so no public patient has been referred to any tertiary centre for this treatment for prostate cancer.

Article applied

Article 25 Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law