The State of the Art of Theranostics and Its Future.

Abstract

Nuclear medicine has experienced several transformative developments in the past, including the introduction of PET and PET/CT imaging. However, nothing was more transformative than the recent resurrection of radionuclide therapy. Coined by a new term, <i>theranostics</i>, that underlines the ability to exploit the same target for imaging as well as therapy, radionuclide therapy has experienced tremendous attention and interest from patients, clinicians, and industry. This article summarizes the current state of theranostics and then provides an outlook on its short- and long-term future.