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Shaunak Navalkissoor, Gopinath Gnanasegaran, Richard Baum, Theranostics and precision medicine special feature, British Journal of Radiology, Volume 91, Issue 1091, 1 November 2018, 20189004, https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20189004
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Theranostics is an exciting field of diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. In theranostics, the target biomarker is similar for both imaging and therapy. The imaging of this biomarker demonstrates whether or not the tumour will concentrate sufficient amount of tracer to give an adequate radiation absorbed dose when the imaging is changed to the beta or alpha emitting radionuclide pair. This theranostics principle allows patients who are likely to benefit to be preselected based on their diagnostic scan. In this special feature, we discuss the concept of theranostics and describe the current and emerging evidence for its use in oncology.
In the introductory article, Professor Harvey Turner gives an excellent overview of the theranostic concept and describes how theranostics can be used for personalised medicine. In his second article, he provides insight into the current status and future of theranostics in nuclear oncology. The ultimate goal of theranostic nuclear oncology is to prolong survival and to improve quality of life for cancer patients. There has to be closer collaboration between oncologists, nuclear physicians, radiologists, dosimetric physicists, Pharma, and, above all, with the patients.