By Magdalene Wanja - Reporter
Kenya, 21 November 2025 - Six days ago, Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH) became the first public hospital in Kenya to offer Radioligand Therapy (RLT). This is a highly targeted treatment for advanced prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours.
Dr Elizabeth Itotia, who is one of Kenya’s leading nuclear medicine physicians, explained how the two main treatments – Lutetium-177 PSMA and Lutetium-177 DOTA – work and why they are important.
What is Radioligand Therapy?
Radioligand Therapy is a form of precision medicine that uses a radioactive drug that singles out cancer cells, attaches to them, and destroys them with radiation. Healthy tissue is largely spared during that targeted radiation therapy. The approach is simple: “target-and-treat”.
It is currently used for:
Advanced prostate cancer treatment (with 177Lu-PSMA)
Neuroendocrine tumours (with 177Lu-DOTA)
Here Are 10 Simple Facts About Radioligand Therapy In Kenya
1. It Acts Like a Smart Bomb
RLT uses a drug with a radioactive molecule that travels through the body, locks onto cancerous cells and releases radiation only there. By releasing radiation only where it is needed, it minimises damage to healthy tissues.
2. It is Precision Medicine at Its Best: Doctors Are Able to Detect the Outcome
A special PET scan is done first using a similar tracer (like Ga-68 PSMA or Ga-68 DOTA). If the cancer lights up on the scan, doctors know the treatment will reach the right places. This is why RLT is often described as “We see it first, then we treat it.”
3. The Radioactive Part Comes from a Nuclear Reactor
Lutetium-177 is made in nuclear reactors overseas and flown to Kenya. Timing is very important. Each patient’s dose depends on a tightly coordinated global supply chain.
4. The Drug Is Made Fresh in the Hospital
Experts at KUTRRH’s nuclear medicine unit mix the radioactive Lutetium-177 with the targeting molecule (either PSMA or DOTA) and check it is safe and pure. To achieve the desired results, radiopharmacists ensure the drug is prepared under sterile, controlled conditions. Each dose undergoes strict quality, purity, and safety checks before usage.
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5. A Single Dose Works For Weeks
The radiation is released slowly, so the treatment keeps fighting the cancer long after administration of the drug.
6. It Is Usually Kinder Than Chemotherapy
Talking of overall feeling of patients at the period of targeted therapy radiation, most report less hair loss, less nausea, and feel better day-to-day.
7. Minimal Hazardous Effects on The Patients
The amount of hazardous emission by the patient is minimal. The hospital gives simple safety rules to follow for a few days post-treatment.
8. Kenya Is Now One of The Few African Countries Offering This
Very few African countries have these state-of-the-art oncology equipment and technologies, trained staff, and regulatory framework to guide how this sophisticated RLT treatment can be administered.
9. Who Qualifies for RLT?
For prostate cancer (177Lu-PSMA): patients with cancer that has spread (metastatic disease), no longer responds to hormone treatment, shows strong uptake on the PSMA PET scan, qualifies for treatment. However these patients need to have healthy kidneys, liver, and bone marrow to avoid complications.
For neuroendocrine tumours (177Lu-DOTA): inoperable or spreading tumours that light up on the scan, grow slowly or moderately, and where organs are working well.
10. The Patient Experience Is Simple
The treatment itself is straightforward. Patients receive the drug through an IV infusion that takes about one hour. They are monitored as well as scans conducted on them for a short time before they are discharged. Most patients go home the same day or the next day.
This new service at KUTRRH brings world-class cancer care to Kenyan patients for the first time in a public hospital.
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