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Top Hospitals for Lutetium-177 PSMA Therapy in Germany
Each hospital in this list meets Booking Health’s strict international standards: at least 250 surgeries per year, ISO‑certified quality management, and documented survival outcomes. Our medical board then ranks the clinics by clinical expertise, technology, and patient‑satisfaction scores.
The University Hospital Ulm is an advanced medical complex that provides patients with high-class medical care using the very latest scientific achievements. The medical facility has been performing successful clinical activities for more than 40 years and has long earned an excellent reputation throughout Europe. The hospital r
According to the reputable Focus magazine, the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden ranks among the top five German hospitals! The hospital is the benchmark for modern high-quality medicine. Positioning itself as a maximum care medical facility, the hospital represents all medical fields. There are 26 specialized depart
According to the Focus magazine, the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich is regularly ranked among the best medical institutions in Germany! The hospital is the largest multidisciplinary medical facility, as well as a leading research and training center in Germany and Europe. The hospital is proud of i
Prostate cancer affects approximately 1 in 8 men during their lifetime, with nearly 300,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2024 [1]. While many prostate cancers grow slowly and can be monitored or treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or brachytherapy, a significant portion of patients are diagnosed after metastases have already spread.
For advanced cases, the disease requires lifelong management through hormone therapy and chemotherapy. However, a groundbreaking treatment has emerged: Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy [2]. This innovative nuclear medicine approach involves injecting radioactive substances that specifically target prostate cancer cells, accumulating in tumors and metastases to destroy them with precise radiation while sparing healthy tissues.
After the spread of metastases, doctors cannot conduct radical prostate cancer treatment with surgery or radiation therapy. It is impossible to detect and destroy all metastases in the body: such a surgical intervention would be too traumatic. In addition, it is simply impossible to detect all metastatic foci: most of them are minimal in size, but after a few months, they will increase and cause symptoms.
Therefore, for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, doctors use systemic treatment methods. These are therapies that target all cancer cells in the body, no matter where they are. Examples of such therapy include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy. Medicines can be administered intravenously or taken orally. They are carried throughout the body with blood and also get into cancer cells.
How PSMA Therapy Works
Lutetium PSMA therapy is also among the systemic treatment options. The radiopharmaceutical agent is administered intravenously. The radioactive substance accumulates only in cancer cells and irradiates them without actually affecting normal tissues. How is this possible? How does the drug recognize where the tumor is and where the normal cells are?
Nuclear medicine specialists have successfully adapted this technique from treating neuroendocrine tumors to targeting prostate cancer metastases.
The selectivity of action of the radiopharmaceutical agent is because it is directed to a molecular target. It can attach only to certain molecules that are present on cancer cells but are absent or are contained in minimal amounts on healthy cells. PSMA, a prostate-specific membrane antigen, is used as such a target. Cancer cells contain it hundreds of times more than normal ones.
The Drug Components
The nuclear medicine drug itself consists of two components. These are as follows:
PSMA ligands – molecules that can bind to PSMA
Radionuclide – in this case, it is Lutetium-177, although other radioactive isotopes can also be used
Thus, Lutetium itself does not know how to find a cancerous tumor. This is done by ligands, which deliver radioactive substances to the target.
Lutetium-177 is the most popular radionuclide in the treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. This is because it:
Gives short beta radiation, spreading only 1 mm, which means that the normal tissues surrounding the cancerous tumor practically do not suffer from radiation.
It has an effective half-life of only 2 days, which means that the patient does not carry a radiation source in the body for too long, so he usually does not suffer from complications and is not dangerous to others.
In what cases can PSMA therapy be used
Patient Eligibility Criteria
Patients with advanced cancer are considered candidates for Lutetium PSMA therapy if [3]:
Chemotherapy and hormonal treatment options do not work
The tumor must be PSMA positive, containing sufficient receptors for the radiopharmaceutical agent to accumulate
Disease Progression Timeline
With an aggressive form of prostate cancer and the absence of timely treatment, the tumor spreads metastases. They most often affect the lymph nodes and cause bone metastases. The typical treatment progression follows this pattern:
Initial hormone therapy – First-line treatment for metastatic disease
Hormone-resistant development – The tumor continues to grow despite hormonal treatment
Chemotherapy introduction – Increasingly prescribed even before hormone resistance develops
Combined approach – Hormone therapy combined with cytostatics, plus local control methods (radiation therapy)
Treatment failure – Patient stops responding to cytostatic therapy
Overall survival (OS) at four time points for radioligand therapy in three phases of prostate cancer [6]
When PSMA Therapy Becomes an Option
PSMA therapy for prostate cancer becomes particularly valuable when [4]:
A patient stops responding to chemotherapy
A patient has poor tolerance to standard treatments
A patient suffers from severe side effects from conventional therapy
A patient is weakened by disease or has concomitant pathologies
PSMA therapy is better tolerated and has fewer complications, making it suitable for elderly patients who cannot handle more aggressive treatments.
To determine if patients with metastatic prostate cancer are candidates for radionuclide treatment, doctors perform PSMA PET scanning. This involves:
Injection of a small amount of radiopharmaceutical agent
Assessment of the tumor's ability to accumulate the substance
Follow-up PSMA PET scans after every second procedure to monitor therapy results
This nuclear medicine treatment option for prostate cancer does not take long and is well tolerated by patients. The course consists of just one injection, with the radiopharmaceutical agent administered intravenously. The person must then spend three nights in the hospital, and on the fourth day, they are discharged.
During the administration of the drug, a small amount of radioactive substance may accumulate in:
Kidneys
Salivary glands
Liver metastases (occasionally), which is why Lutetium PSMA can cause jaundice in some patients
Safety Measures and Preparation
Doctors carry out a careful diagnostic examination of patients before treatment. Nuclear medicine protocols, developed for prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors, ensure patient safety. Key protective measures include:
For jaundice prevention: Bile duct stenting if there is a threat of jaundice
For salivary glands: Cooling to avoid dry mouth
For kidney protection: Intravenous infusion solutions
Before each course: Assessment of internal organ function
Treatment Course and Monitoring
The number of courses may vary, as patients treated with PSMA therapy can respond differently:
Complete response: Disappearance of all tumor foci
Partial response: Decrease in tumor and metastases diameter by more than 30%
Stabilization: Areas of cancer spread stabilize in size, even if not significantly reduced
After each injection, nuclear medicine doctors assess treatment results by measuring PSA levels and visualizing tumors with PET-CT. Treatment is repeated every 8 weeks and continues as long as it works without causing unacceptable toxicity.
Benefits of the method
Lutetium PSMA therapy is one of the best treatment options for patients with metastatic cancer. This breakthrough builds on decades of success treating neuroendocrine tumors with similar radioligand approaches. When combined with other methods, Lutetium treatment can increase the life expectancy of patients with advanced stages of cancer by several years and significantly improve the quality of life [5].
PSMA therapy has been used in nuclear medicine for decades. It has already established itself as a procedure with a good balance of effectiveness and safety. The benefits of this treatment option for patients with metastatic prostate cancer are as follows:
With the help of PSMA therapy, even the most advanced forms of cancer can be treated when chemotherapy and hormone therapy no longer work
Good treatment tolerance: patients are less likely to suffer from side effects than after chemotherapy
Serious complications are rare
PSA levels after a single injection of the radiopharmaceutical agent can decrease by 95% or more
It is possible to achieve a complete response to treatment: the disappearance of the primary tumor and all metastases, according to the data of radiological diagnostics
If side effects occur, then, in most cases, these are toxic reactions of grade 1-2. The most common of them are dry mouth (68% of patients), nausea (48%), and fatigue (36%). Grade 3-4 toxic reactions occur very rarely. They are possible only in the presence of metastatic foci in the bones with the involvement of the bone marrow. In this case, radiation sources inhibit hematopoiesis, and thrombocytopenia and anemia (characterized by low platelet and erythrocyte levels) may develop. In Germany, doctors successfully correct these conditions through transfusions of blood and its components.
Radiological progression-free survival gain with PSMA-RLT in RCTs [6]
Why is it better to undergo cancer treatment in Germany?
Germany is an economically prosperous country with developed medicine. Doctors in this country apply the very latest treatment options for prostate cancer. Patients in Germany can expect excellent results with minimal health risks.
There are several reasons for you to undergo treatment in one of the German hospitals:
Extensive experience – German nuclear medicine doctors were among the first to treat patients with prostate cancer using radionuclide methods.
The departments of nuclear medicine and oncology are equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology.
A thorough diagnosis was conducted before the procedure. Doctors will examine you to see if radioligand therapy will be effective and whether it is appropriate to use it. During the treatment, you will be examined to evaluate the results and avoid damage to internal organs, primarily to protect the kidneys.
Comfortable conditions in the hospitals. After the administration of the radiopharmaceutical agent, you will need to spend another 3 days in the hospital.
A successful combination of several methods of treating prostate cancer – not only systemic (drug therapy), but also local (remote irradiation, brachytherapy).
Other innovations in the treatment of prostate cancer are available: embolization of tumor vessels, robot-assisted operations, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and proton therapy.
Thanks to the high level of medicine, even advanced prostate cancer can be successfully treated in Germany. Despite the aggressive histological type of the tumor and the development of distant metastases, with high-quality treatment, many patients can live for another 5-10 years or more after the diagnosis is made.
Lutetium-177 PSMA Therapy: International Comparison
Feature
Germany
United States
Great Britain
Treatment Cost
€12,700 – €28,900
€55,000 – €85,000
€35,000 – €60,000
Treatment Availability
Widely available across multiple centers
Available at major cancer centers
Limited specialized centers
Waiting Times
Minimal with proper coordination
Variable, insurance-dependent
Longer NHS waiting times
Comprehensive Care
Combined systemic and local treatments
Comprehensive cancer programs
Integrated NHS care
Hospital Stay Comfort
Comfortable 3-day stays, healing environments
Variable facility quality
Standard NHS accommodations
Best German hospitals for Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy
German medical centers have established themselves as world leaders in Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy, combining decades of nuclear medicine expertise with specialized prostate cancer treatment programs. These facilities offer comprehensive care from initial PSMA diagnostics through complete treatment cycles.
Quick Comparison Guide
Hospital
Location
Department Head
Special Advantage
Treatment Capacity
LMU Munich
Munich
Prof. Dr. Matthias Brendel
On-site cyclotron for fresh Lu-177
16 treatment beds
Helios Berlin-Buch
Berlin
Prof. Dr. Stefan Dresel
Healing park environment, 22+ years of expertise
Focus magazine top-rated
Rechts der Isar Munich
Munich
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weber
Memorial Sloan Kettering experience
13 beds, 800+ patients annually
University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
What makes this hospital special? They produce their own fresh Lutetium-177 right on-site using their advanced cyclotron facility – meaning you get the most potent treatment possible. Prof. Dr. Matthias Brendel and his team have treated countless men with advanced prostate cancer in their 16 specialized treatment rooms.
The hospital works hand-in-hand with its Comprehensive Cancer Center, so you're not just getting one treatment – you're getting a complete care team fighting for your recovery.
Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch
Imagine receiving world-class cancer treatment surrounded by beautiful parks and forests. Prof. Dr. Stefan Dresel has dedicated over 22 years to perfecting Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy, and this Focus magazine top-rated hospital feels more like a healing retreat than a medical facility.
From your initial PSMA scan to your final treatment cycle, you'll experience compassionate care in an environment designed to lift your spirits while the therapy works to eliminate your cancer.
University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich
This is where innovation meets experience. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weber brought his expertise from America's prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to create Germany's largest nuclear medicine department.
With 13 dedicated treatment beds and over 800 patients treated annually, this team has seen it all – and they've developed their own specialized Theranostics program specifically for men like you who need the most advanced radioligand therapy available.
Breaking Barriers: How a Colorado Man Found Life-Saving Treatment in Germany
Treatment with Lutetium-177 in Germany at an affordable price
Considering PSMA therapy in Germany, but worried about navigating treatment abroad? Booking Health can help make the process smoother and more affordable for patients seeking advanced nuclear medicine care.
Why choose Germany for treatment? German hospitals offer Lutetium PSMA therapy for prostate cancer, which is not widely available in many countries. German doctors were among the first to use radionuclide methods and have extensive experience with these treatments. The nuclear medicine departments are equipped with state-of-the-art technology for thorough diagnosis and careful monitoring throughout treatment.
What medical support is provided? International medical service Booking Health helps select hospitals specializing in nuclear medicine, establish clear communication with attending physicians, and provide professional interpretation during consultations. Medical coordinators ensure proper evaluation before treatment to determine if radioligand therapy will be effective and appropriate for each patient.
How are costs and logistics managed? Booking Health provides transparent pricing, helps reduce treatment costs by eliminating additional fees for international patients, and coordinates appointment scheduling to minimize waiting times. Support includes assistance with documentation, travel arrangements, accommodation, and airport transfers.
What about continuity of care? Medical coordinators prepare and translate existing medical documents to avoid repeating diagnostic procedures. They facilitate ongoing communication with German specialists after treatment, help organize follow-up examinations when needed, and assist with medication procurement and delivery to the patient's home country.
What makes German hospitals stand out? Beyond PSMA therapy, German hospitals offer comprehensive prostate cancer treatment combining systemic therapies with local methods like radiation therapy. Patients have access to other innovations, including vessel embolization, robot-assisted surgery, focused ultrasound, and proton therapy. The comfortable hospital conditions ensure patients feel supported during the required three-day stay after radiopharmaceutical administration.
The comprehensive approach allows patients to focus on their health and recovery while experienced coordinators handle the complex logistics of international medical care.
Which type of cancer can be treated with Lutetium therapy in Germany?
Therapy with Lu-177 is effective in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.
How is Lutetium used in cancer therapy in Germany?
Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy is used for cancer treatment in patients who no longer respond to chemo- or hormonal therapy.
What is the cost of Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy in Germany?
The cost of the Lutetium therapy starts from 12,700 EUR. You can find more prices on the Booking Health website.
Which hospitals are the best for Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy in Germany?
The best hospitals in Germany are the University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich, the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch.
What is Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy?
Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy is a targeted treatment that uses radioactive molecules to destroy prostate cancer cells. The drug binds to PSMA proteins on cancer cells and delivers precise radiation while sparing healthy tissue.
Who is eligible for Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy in Germany?
Patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer who no longer respond to chemotherapy and hormone therapy are eligible. The tumor must test positive for PSMA receptors through PSMA PET/CT scanning before treatment begins.
How effective is Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy for prostate cancer?
The therapy can reduce PSA levels by over 95% after a single injection. Some patients achieve a complete response with the disappearance of all tumors. It extends life by several years even in advanced cases.
Is Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy available in Germany?
Yes, nuclear medicine clinics in Germany offer this treatment widely. German doctors were pioneers in radionuclide therapy and have extensive experience treating international patients.
How much does Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy cost in Germany?
The cost of Lutetium therapy in Germany ranges from €12,700 to €28,900, significantly less than in the US (€55,000-€85,000) or UK (€35,000-€60,000), with minimal waiting times.
What are the side effects of this treatment?
Common side effects of Lutetium-177 include dry mouth (68%), nausea (48%), and fatigue (36%). These are usually mild. Serious complications are rare, occurring mainly when bone marrow is affected.
How is the therapy administered?
PSMA targeted radiotherapy involves one intravenous injection. Patients stay three nights in the hospital for monitoring. Treatment can be repeated every 8 weeks, if necessary.
Can I combine Lutetium therapy with other treatments?
Yes, prostate cancer treatment in Germany combines Lutetium therapy with surgery, radiation, and other systemic treatments for comprehensive care and better outcomes.
Are there alternatives to Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy?
Actinium-225 vs Lutetium-177 represents another option – Actinium-225 delivers alpha radiation. Other alternatives include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.
How do I arrange treatment in Germany as an international patient?
Booking Health helps select specialized hospitals, handle documentation, arrange travel, and provide translation services. They ensure proper evaluation and coordinate follow-up care after returning home.
Authors:
This article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, and Dr. Bohdan Mykhalniuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Our editorial policy, which details our commitment to accuracy and transparency, is available here. Click this link to review our policies.
[2] Kanchi Patell, Matthew Kurian, Jorge A Garcia et al. Lutetium-177 PSMA for the treatment of metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer: a systematic review. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2023 Jul;23(7):731-744. doi: 10.1080/14737140.2023.2213892. Epub 2023 May 24. Epub 2019 Jan 30. [DOI][PubMed]
[4] Konstantin Egon Seitzer, Robert Seifert, Katharina Kessel et al. Lutetium-177 Labelled PSMA Targeted Therapy in Advanced Prostate Cancer: Current Status and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 23;13(15):3715. doi: 10.3390/cancers13153715. [DOI][PMC free article]
[5] Elias Chandran, William D Figg, Ravi Madan. Lutetium-177-PSMA-617: A Vision of the Future. Cancer Biol Ther. 2022 Dec 31;23(1):186-190. doi: 10.1080/15384047.2022.2037985. [DOI][PubMed]
