Navigating Care: Understanding Cancer Patients’ Experiences with Systemic Radionuclide Therapy

Abstract

Systemic Radionuclide Therapy (SRT), using the radioactive substance Lutathera (177LU), has emerged as a promising treatment option for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). While studies suggest that SRT has rather positive health outcomes, there is a lack of research exploring patients’ experiences of this treatment. This may be because NETs are widely regarded as a rare disease and SRT as an emerging technology. This paper explores the journeys NET patients take to receive SRT and their perceptions of its clinical application. Our findings highlight the specific challenges that patients face with SRT and how some of these are mitigated in clinical practice. These include the often long journeys to specific treatment options, and how these may be subject to social inequalities. In the specific context of the clinic, we documented the challenges posed by the radiation involved, particularly the need for social isolation. We find that notions of care from the patient's perspective are relevant to increasing well-being and trust in medicine. Our study thus highlights the importance of care in a specific case of an emerging technology in cancer research, which typically receives much less attention than issues of innovation and risk management.