On May 11, 2023, Steve Cho, MD was a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show” to discuss how nuclear medicine is advancing cancer treatments.
In this segment, Dr. Cho was able to clarify existing confusions and misconceptions about the emerging field of theranostics. After defining theranostics and describing how it works to target tumors, he explained how emerging nuclear medicine treatments and existing radiation techniques differ. He also emphasized that listeners should be skeptical about headlines that promise a “cure” for cancer.
“In the cancer clinical and research fields, we’re very cautious about using the word ‘cure,’” Dr. Cho explained during the on-air interview. “This is one step in our effort to cure cancer – I don’t think we’re there yet, but I do think theranostics is one step in getting there.”
Dr. Cho went on to outline the history of radiopharmaceutical agents being used in cancer treatment. The success of Lutetium dotatate in treating neuroendocrine tumors, for example, paved the way for further research into clinical applications for nuclear medicine.
“It really demonstrated to the field that this is an effective, viable way of treating cancer,” said Dr. Cho.
More recently, Lutetium PSMA has shown promising results in the treatment and control of prostate cancer, which is the second-leading cause of death in men in the United States.
Advances like these have generated excitement around potential future applications for nuclear medicine in the treatment of cancer. Already, more than 20 million procedures using radiopharmaceuticals and imaging instruments are carried out each year in the United States, with the market for nuclear medicine expected to more than double by 2030.
To listen to the full episode, during which Dr. Cho also discusses PET imaging and radiopharmaceutical shortages, visit the WPR article.