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‹ Wed · 22 Apr 2026
Novel or significantly improved treatment

Plasma extracellular vesicle proteomics nominates candidate biomarkers of 177Lu-PSMA-617 outcomes in metastatic prostate cancer patients

Proteins found in tiny blood particles may help doctors predict which prostate cancer patients will struggle most with a specific radiation therapy, potentially guiding treatment choices.

A prospective study of 100 mCRPC patients receiving 177Lu-PSMA-617 used shotgun proteomics to profile plasma extracellular vesicle proteins alongside PSMA-positive CTC enumeration, identifying PSMA, B7-H3, Trop-2, and STEAP1 as surface-targetable EV proteins correlating with worse overall survival. These liquid biopsy biomarkers show potential for patient stratification in lutetium-PSMA trials and may identify targets for combination therapy.

What the study was

Study design
Prospective observational study with shotgun proteomics
Population
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients receiving 177Lu-PSMA-617
Sample size
100
Category
Diagnostics
Maturity
Validated
Journal
Cell Reports Medicine

Why it surfaced

First systematic EV proteomics study (5,137 proteins) for 177Lu-PSMA-617 outcome prediction in mCRPC; identifies druggable surface targets (B7-H3, Trop-2, STEAP1) alongside PSMA and provides framework for biomarker-driven lutetium trials.

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