Providence Alaska Medical Center brings innovative cancer therapy to the 49th state

In 2025, researchers predict about 313,780 new diagnoses of prostate cancer and 34,770 deaths across the United States. But those cases aren’t evenly spread across the country. Mortality rates for Alaskans, for example, are typically higher than the general population due to a range of factors including limited access to treatment. For Alaska Native men, the number is even higher. Study findings show that overall prostate cancer rates for American Indian and Alaska Native men are 12% lower than white men, but mortality rates are 31% higher. For Alaska Native men, the number is even higher. Study findings show that overall prostate cancer rates for American Indian and Alaska Native men are 12% lower than white men, but mortality rates are 31% higher.

In Anchorage, Providence Alaska Medical Center has become the first facility in the state to offer an innovative treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. In March, the hospital began administering Pluvicto, a targeted therapy designed to identify and kill prostate cancer cells that express a protein known as prostate-specific membrane antigen. Pluvicto is different from traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments because it specifically targets these cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy cells. 

“Pluvicto is one of the only treatments that improves overall survival in men with prostate cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body and is no longer responding to hormonal treatments,” said Dr. John Halligan, radiation oncologist and medical director of Radiation Oncology at Providence Cancer Center. 

Treatment data shows that combining Pluvicto with standard chemotherapy and radiation led to 30% of men experiencing tumor reduction or disappearance. In contrast, those who received standard therapy alone saw a 2% reduction. Thanks to this new therapy, Alaskans no longer need to travel to the Lower 48 to receive this care.

LEARN MORE