Advances in Molecular Imaging and Therapy and Its Impact in Oncologic Imaging

The theranostic concept to use diagnostic and therapeutic nuclides to image and treat cancer was established many years ago for thyroid disease. With the success of [177Lu]-labeled therapeutic agents targeting neuroendocrine tumors or prostate cancer, the interest for this concept has been significantly rising. The possibility to localize and quantify a therapeutic target within the patient opens up novel possibilities, but also challenges for patient selection, dosimetry, and response assessment. Especially for response assessment we however, still rely on the morphologic changes. With the increasing use of immunotherapy and other biological approaches, image interpretation needs a profound understanding of the therapeutic mechanism and impact on imaging parameters for accurate assessment of tumor response and guidance for appropriate therapy selection.