Radiotheranostics: fresh impetus of personalized medicine

Abstract

Radionuclide therapy is a radionuclide therapy based on molecular imaging using various radiopharmaceuticals (RP), allowing in vivo visualization (SPECT, PET) and selectively affecting pathological metabolic processes caused by a tumor. Using the paradigm of theranostics since the 1950s with the help of radioactive iodine, thyrotoxicosis and thyroid cancer have been successfully treated. In recent years, thanks to advances in the development of nuclear medicine (an increase in the number of cyclotrons, SPECT/CT and PET/CT in medical institutions) and, above all, radiopharmaceuticals, radiotherapy is developing very rapidly in the world. The emergence of new radioligands based on 177Lu, 225Ac and other radioisotopes stimulated a huge number (more than 300) clinical studies on radioligand therapy for prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic cancer, and other malignant neoplasms. One of the most promising areas of radiotherapy is the development of radioligands based on targeted anticancer drugs, which makes it possible to summarize in one radiotherapy two effects: inhibition of signaling cascades and radiation damage. Radiotechnology is multidisciplinary in nature, technologically complex, a priori integral (isotopes, radiopharmaceuticals, RFP, SPECT, PET), requires high competence and teamwork. The development of radiotherapy and the development of targeted radiopharmaceuticals in our country is in its infancy. The main problems are the lack of specialists in this field: doctors, physicists, chemists, radiopharmaceuticals, biologists, geneticists, engineers, programmers. The low awareness of doctors and patients about the possibilities of radio therapy is also a big brake on its development and introduction into clinical practice in the country.

Keywords

• radiotheranostics
• radiopharmacy
• oncology