Theragnostic Approach in Cancer Treatment

Nuclear Medicine methods are increasingly used in the treatment of cancer, as well as imaging. Targeted atomic therapies have been developing at a stunning pace since 2010.

Theragnostic is a field of medicine that combines patient-specific and disease-targeted diagnosis with treatment. The most important feature of atomic treatments with radionuclides is that the diagnosis can be made with the same drugs, and this provides an extraordinary advantage in cancer treatment. This feature ensures that the drug given for treatment, the area where it will reach in the body, and its effect on the diseased tissue are known precisely before the treatment. This approach is called the “theragnostic” approach.

Unlike conventional chemotherapeutics, theragnostic drugs go directly to the cancer cell, with little or no effect on normal cells. Thus, while healthy cells suffer the least damage, targeted therapy is performed by giving maximum damage to diseased cells such as cancer cells.