JNM Publishes Joint Guide for the Establishment of Theranostics Centers

April 29, 2022

Reston, VA—The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have created a new guide for the creation of dedicated theranostics centers. Focusing on safety protocols and operational procedures, the guide provides a framework that highlights best practices that can be applied globally. Titled, “Joint EANM, SNMMI and IAEA Enabling Guide: How to Set Up a Theranostics Center,” the guide was published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) this month.

“This guide is the first comprehensive framework for establishing theranostic centers of excellence throughout the United States and worldwide,” said Ken Herrmann, MD, lead author of the guide and chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany. “Patients’ needs for high quality and competent theranostic services are at the center of this guide.”

With the approval of ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE for neuroendocrine tumors and ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 for metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, the interest in targeted radionuclide therapies has increased tremendously recently. The projected surge in demand for theranostics infrastructure and appropriately skilled professional staff will pose both a challenge and an opportunity for healthcare systems.

To prepare for the demand from cancer patients, referring physicians and society, the joint guide was developed for stakeholders interested in setting up dedicated theranostic centers. The guide covers regulatory, logistical, and technical considerations in regard to radiation protection, storage, administration, and other topics. Medical considerations, such as training, collaboration with clinical partners, treatment indications, and important lessons learned from early adopters of theranostics, are also included. Additionally, the guide provides advice for troubleshooting during the creation of a theranostic service.

“The era of theranostics offers a great opportunity to improve patient care, and its clear that theranostics will become a mainstay of personalized cancer treatment,” noted Herrmann. “This guide firmly establishes nuclear medicine as the initiator, innovator, and driver, of theranostics.”

The authors of “Joint EANM, SNMMI and IAEA Enabling Guide: How to Set Up a Theranostics Centre” include Ken Herrmann, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)-University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; Luca Giovanella, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Imaging Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland; Andrea Santos, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital Cuf Descobertas, Lisbon, Portugal; Jonathan Gear, Joint Department of Physics, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom; Pinar Ozgen Kiratli, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Jens Kurth, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany; Ana M. Denis-Bacelar, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, United Kingdom; Roland Hustinx, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Oncological Imaging, University Hospital of Liège, Belgium and GIGA-CRC in vivo imaging, University of Liège, Belgium; Marianne Patt, Department for Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Richard L. Wahl, Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Diana Paez and Francesco Giammarile, Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging Section, Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Application, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria; Hossein Jadvar, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Neeta Pandit-Taskar, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Munir Ghesani, Diagnostic, Molecular & Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; and Jolanta Kunikowska, Nuclear Medicine Department, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.

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About JNM and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) is the world’s leading nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and theranostics journal, accessed more than 14 million times each year by practitioners around the globe, providing them with the information they need to advance this rapidly expanding field. Current and past issues of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.

JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.