When it comes to cancer care, you want access to the latest treatment options.
Baptist Health Cancer Care was among the first in South Florida to use Pluvicto® — a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved radiation treatment for certain types of stage 4 prostate cancer.
About Pluvicto
Pluvicto, manufactured by Novartis, is a type of radiopharmaceutical medication used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic) and is resistant to standard therapies.
Doctors use radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose or treat cancers. When used to diagnose cancer, radiopharmaceuticals “tag” or identify cancer cells. When used as treatment, radiopharmaceuticals deliver radioactive agents to cancerous areas to shrink or destroy cancer cells.
Pluvicto and other radiopharmaceuticals are part of an emerging area of cancer care called theranostics. Theranostics take a “seek-and-destroy” approach by combining the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of radiopharmaceuticals.
Pluvicto is the third theranostic medication available to Baptist Health Cancer Care patients.
How Pluvicto Works
Pluvicto works by seeking prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a molecule found in high concentrations in more aggressive prostate cancers. Pluvicto binds to these PSMA-heavy cells and delivers a dose of radiation that shrinks or kills them.
Is Pluvicto Right for Me?
Pluvicto may be right for you if:
- You’ve been diagnosed with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA-positive mCRPC)
- Your PSMA-positive mCRPC isn’t responding to standard therapies, particularly chemotherapy.
How is Pluvicto Delivered?
Doctors deliver Pluvicto via six intravenous injections (infusions) over six weeks. Each infusion takes less than one hour.
Pluvicto can cause several side effects, including:
- Abdominal pain
- Changes in bowel movements (constipation or diarrhea)
- Dry mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Low blood platelet count
- Low red blood cell count
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Urinary tract infection
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
Talk with your doctor about any side effects you may be experiencing.

New Drug Extends Survival for Late-Stage Prostate Cancer Patients
Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute is among the first cancer centers in the region to offer an innovative radiopharmaceutical therapy that can extend survival and increase quality of life for patients with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, according to radiation oncologist Adeel Kaiser, M.D.

Advancing Prostate Cancer Care
Doctors with Baptist Health Cancer Care are leaders in the use of Pluvicto for prostate cancer treatment.
- In 2023, Baptist Health Cancer Care physicians published guidance on using Pluvicto. Our team is working to update the guidelines for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Cancer care professionals worldwide will use these guidelines.
- Baptist Health Cancer Care researchers are recruiting patients for a new international research study of Pluvicto. The study will test the effectiveness of Pluvicto as an initial treatment for people newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.