Theranostics Offers New Hope for Patients with Advanced Cancers
Scripps uses imaging-guided therapy to treat metastatic cancers
Scripps uses imaging-guided therapy to treat metastatic cancers
Chemotherapy and radiation have long been considered gold standards of cancer treatment, but the regimen can be taxing on patients and cause severe side effects.
A promising new approach called theranostics — a term derived from the combination of “therapeutics” and “diagnostics” — could offer patients with certain types of metastatic cancers an effective treatment option with fewer side effects.
The two-step process uses a radioactive drug that binds to specific receptors on cancer cells. Advanced imaging detects this radioisotope, allowing doctors to see exactly where the cancer has spread. They then inject a second radioisotope that binds to the cancer cells and destroys them.
“The big difference between this and chemotherapy is that chemotherapy affects both the good cells and the bad cells,” says Nikunj Patel, MD, a radiologist at Scripps Clinic and director of oncologic imaging at Scripps Cancer Center. “Because these radioisotopes target only the cancer cells, the normal cells around them are not affected, and as a result, these therapies are much better tolerated.”
Which cancers can theranostics treat?
Theranostics is not intended to replace targeted radiation therapy that treats cancer in specific areas. The approach is currently used to diagnose and treat neuroendocrine and prostate cancers that have spread to other parts of the body, though its applications are expected to grow in the near future. Roughly 300 clinical trials are underway, some of them testing theranostics on other types of cancer, says Dr. Patel.
“There are multiple ways to treat cancers and they’re all complementary in their own way,” he says. “Because the radioisotopes circulate in the blood, they have the ability to treat metastatic disease, while other therapies target one, two or three areas. Theoretically, if a single cancer cell is circulating in the body, it finds that cell and binds to it.”
Imaging technology helps personalize treatment
Patients receiving theranostic treatment at Scripps Cancer Center will soon benefit from an even more personalized approach. Scripps is the first health system in San Diego County, and only the third on the West Coast, to acquire StarGuide molecular imaging technology.
StarGuide not only detects cancer cells, but it also measures how much radiation was retained in the body, allowing physicians to tailor subsequent doses to meet a patient’s individual needs. The StarGuide system is expected to be available later this year or in early 2027.
“We can now look at how the disease is progressing or changing, and how the therapy is working in each patient’s body,” Dr. Patel says. “Then we can potentially modify the dosage regimen, meaning a patient may need more or less than originally recommended. That would allow us to cater the treatments to be specific to each patient.”
This content appeared in San Diego Health, a publication in partnership between Scripps and San Diego Magazine that celebrates the healthy spirit of San Diego.