{"id":157399,"date":"2025-07-22T05:47:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T05:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/theragnosis-a-treatment-that-utilizes-nuclear-energy-to-eliminate-cancer-is-set-to-replace-many-forms-of-radiotherapy\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T05:47:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T05:47:32","slug":"theragnosis-a-treatment-that-utilizes-nuclear-energy-to-eliminate-cancer-is-set-to-replace-many-forms-of-radiotherapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/theragnosis-a-treatment-that-utilizes-nuclear-energy-to-eliminate-cancer-is-set-to-replace-many-forms-of-radiotherapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Theragnosis, a treatment that utilizes nuclear energy to eliminate cancer, is set to replace many forms of radiotherapy."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/picture>
A patient during a CT (Freepik)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In Spain, \u00a0nuclear power\u00a0 plays a critical role in energy generation, with five municipalities housing nuclear power plants, including locations like Almaraz, Asc\u00f3, Vandell\u00f3s, Valencia, and Trillo. These facilities harness nuclear reactions to produce electricity without generating \u00a0greenhouse gases\u00a0 and maintaining \u00a0high efficiency\u00a0.<\/p>\n

However, the significance of nuclear energy extends beyond electricity generation. An underappreciated application of this technology is its role in \u00a0nuclear medicine\u00a0, a subspecialty of radiology used to \u00a0diagnose and treat various forms of cancer\u00a0, including \u00a0prostate and thyroid cancers\u00a0. <\/p>\n

\u201cNuclear medicine utilizes \u00a0marked molecules\u00a0 with \u00a0radioactive isotopes\u00a0 that are introduced into the patient for diagnostic imaging, treatment, and research,\u201d explains Dr. \u00a0Jos\u00e9 Luis Carreras\u00a0, an academic in Nuclear Medicine at the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain (RANME) and a Professor Emeritus of Radiology at Complutense University in Madrid. <\/p>\n

These marked molecules are engineered to carry the radioisotope directly to the targeted organ or tissue, obtaining essential \u00a0diagnostic information\u00a0 through imaging techniques such as \u00a0PET\u00a0 (Positron Emission Tomography) and \u00a0SPECT\u00a0 (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). Moreover, they also provide \u00a0therapeutic doses\u00a0 of radiation to specific tissue, mainly targeting tumor cells through \u00a0molecular radiotherapy\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Among modern diagnostic techniques, \u00a0Theragnosis\u00a0 stands out as a promising method within nuclear medicine. This approach operates in two phases: initially conducting an imaging study, typically through PET, to check if the molecule binds to the tumor. Upon confirmation, the same molecule is utilized in a \u00a0therapeutic phase\u00a0, now combined with a \u00a0therapeutic radioisotope\u00a0 to selectively destroy tumors through targeted irradiation.<\/p>\n

\"Computed<\/picture>
Computed tomography room (Freepik)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

It is essential to highlight that nuclear medicine \u201chas nothing to do with \u00a0nuclear power plants\u00a0,\u201d Dr. Carreras asserts. The radioisotopes used for medical therapies and diagnostics are produced in specialized reactors and \u00a0medical-use cyclotrons\u00a0, equipped for precise marking and quality control. Moreover, the radiation exposure for patients undergoing these diagnostic procedures is comparable to or even less than that of a typical \u00a0CT scan\u00a0 or regular radiography.<\/p>\n

In terms of therapeutic applications, the doses administered are generally higher, but they’re concentrated specifically on tumor tissues, aiming to destroy them while sparing adjacent healthy tissues. This targets treatment allows for a form of therapy comparable to \u00a0radiotherapy\u00a0, but with fewer side effects on surrounding healthy areas.<\/p>\n

The misleading nomenclature associated with nuclear medicine often fuels \u00a0negative perceptions\u00a0, commonly derived from environmental catastrophes linked to nuclear energy, such as the Chernobyl disaster. Dr. Carreras emphasizes that \u201cnuclear medicine operates safely, administering controlled dose levels that are significantly \u00a0lower\u00a0 than those of nuclear plant operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The immunotherapy treatment for cancer that can be administered with a simple injection in just 7 minutes arrives in Spain.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

This precise targeting capability renders nuclear medicine a revolutionary practice, with experts forecasting that it could potentially \u00a0replace\u00a0 many conventional applications of \u00a0external radiotherapy\u00a0. Unlike the latter, which can damage nearby healthy tissues, nuclear medicine is designed to focus on tumors with minimal side effects.<\/p>\n

In Spain and across Europe, the \u00a0FDA\u00a0 (Food and Drug Administration) and the \u00a0EMA\u00a0 (European Medicines Agency) have approved various applications of nuclear medicine, particularly for advanced cases of \u00a0prostate cancer\u00a0 that resist hormonal treatments. Currently, in Spain, this therapy is authorized specifically for \u00a0inoperable neuroendocrine tumors\u00a0, which are rare and can develop in areas like the lungs and pancreas. Its full approval relies on price negotiations with the \u00a0Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products\u00a0 (AEMPS).<\/p>\n

In other European nations, this innovative therapy is sometimes utilized under compassionate use systems, which allow terminally ill patients access to unapproved clinical treatments. Dr. Carreras notes that countries with less regulatory oversight, such as Australia and China, frequently employ these therapies.<\/p>\n

Presently, nuclear medicine thrives within oncological therapies, particularly in advanced stages of the disease. As clinical trials progress, applications are likely to extend into \u00a0earlier phases\u00a0 of cancer treatment, marking an exciting frontier in medical science.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A patient during a CT (Freepik) In Spain, \u00a0nuclear power\u00a0 plays a critical role in energy generation, with five municipalities housing nuclear power plants, including locations like Almaraz, Asc\u00f3, Vandell\u00f3s, Valencia, and Trillo. These facilities harness nuclear reactions to produce electricity without generating \u00a0greenhouse gases\u00a0 and maintaining \u00a0high efficiency\u00a0. However, the significance of nuclear energy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1591,25646,57,10736,704,39309,5514,1428,39307,1312,39308],"class_list":["post-157399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-cancer","tag-eliminate","tag-energy","tag-forms","tag-nuclear","tag-radiotherapy","tag-replace","tag-set","tag-theragnosis","tag-treatment","tag-utilizes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}