Duke Health

Alex Lucas’ underlying congenital heart disease led to heart and liver problems as he neared adulthood. After another hospital told Alex his case was too complex, he was evaluated for a combined heart-liver transplant at Duke Health. Alex ultimately underwent a standalone heart transplant in 2022, but that’s not all he experienced at Duke. Thanks to a chance run-in with Duke’s baseball coach, Alex threw out the first pitch at a Duke baseball game in March 2026, fulfilling a boyhood dream. Today, Alex is happy to be feeling well and back to work. “We don't take a single day for granted because we know that every day is a gift,” said Alex’s mother Vicki Lucas.

This summer, thousands of people across the country have gotten sick after eating food contaminated with a parasite called Cyclospora. Explosive diarrhea is the main symptom of the foodborne illness known as cyclosporiasis. If you get sick, when should you see your healthcare provider? Here, Keley Brennan, a Duke Health nurse practitioner who sees patients at Duke Health Family Medicine Mooresville and Duke Health Primary Care Tall Oaks, explains what you need to know about cyclosporiasis and how to keep you and your family healthy.

A new generation of image-guided treatments uses radioactive material to target and destroy cancer cells with fewer side effects than standard cancer treatments. Radioligand therapies are approved to treat advanced prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. Clinical trials are underway to expand this therapeutic approach to more cancer types.

Who is a candidate for radioligand therapies, and why are they so effective? In our ongoing Conversations in Cancer series, Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, a medical oncologist at Duke Health who specializes in neuroendocrine tumors, talks to Hannah McManus, MD, a medical oncologist who treats prostate cancer, about this “smart bomb” approach and the promises it holds for the future.

Learn more about PLUVICTO and other radioligand therapies.