The Badger Herald, a student newspaper, interviewed Steven Cho, MD for the article “UW nuclear medicine employees use radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatments” that was published on October 12, 2023.
Dr. Cho explained the history of radiopharmaceuticals as well as the basics of nuclear medicine such as the difference between anatomic and functional imaging.
Theranostics was also a focus, with our Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility Manager Scott Knishka, RPh, BCNP explaining how theranostics differs from radiation oncology in that it can precisely target the cancer from within the body. Patient harm is reduced since the radioharmaceuticals are injected internally. This is significant as radiation safety is a high priority for physicians.
“We try to minimize how frequently they need to get [exposed], but we try to balance the medical need versus getting an excessive number of scans,” Dr. Cho said. “A vast number of these treatments are outpatient, despite being a higher dose.”
Both Dr. Cho and Knishka encouraged students to consider a career in nuclear field, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.