The Princess Margaret “Transformers”

29 THE TRANSFORMERS • TECHNOLOGY ISSUE Advances in imaging technology are helping Dr. Alejandro Berlin take on complex cancer cases that couldn’t be treated in the past. Dr. Berlin is a Radiation Oncologist and a member of The Princess Margaret’s Genitourinary Site Group. He and his colleagues are at the forefront of research into a promising method for treating patients with prostate cancer that has spread, including cases in which conventional treatment is no longer possible. The technique combines a molecule known as PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) with a radioactive tracer that is created in the Cyclotron. “This small molecule travels within the body and attaches to an area where there are prostate cancer cells,” Dr. Berlin says. Using a combination of PET and MRI imaging, it’s possible to see where the cancer has spread by looking at where the PSMA accumulated. This allows doctors to identify the targets for radiation treatment. “We find deposits of the disease across the body and target those with high precision and focused radiotherapy,” says Dr. Berlin. It’s a useful approach when tests show the presence of prostate cancer in a patient who has already undergone treatment. Dr. David Jaffray, Head of Medical Physics at The Princess Margaret, says there are many challenges in trying to figure out how to treat a prostate cancer that has spread, including determining where it is within the body. “If it’s coming back in some other part of the body because of metastatic spread, where is it?” says Dr. Jaffray. “If you can find where it’s localized, you could actually go after that and treat it aggressively.” In the past, treatment options were often limited. In some cases, doctors would have to try to treat the cancer with a systemic approach, since they couldn’t precisely target it like they can today with the PSMA-based method. “Now that we can see the disease, we can target it with radiotherapy,” Dr. Berlin explains. The Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, BC Cancer Agency, Terry Fox Foundation and other partners are working to bring this technology to Canadians. RADIATION MEDICINE PROGRAM TRACKING THE ENEMY Active since June 2017 - Goal: Treat 37 patients - Complete Trial: End of 2018 PSMA TRIALS