Winterthur Cantonal Hospital is now a center of excellence for theranostics

(CONNECT) The Kantonsspital Winterthur (KSW) has been certified as a Qualified Theranostics Center of Excellence Level 1 by the European Society of Nuclear Medicine. With its EARL accreditation program, the organization confirms that the hospital carries out targeted tumor treatments according to clearly structured and interdisciplinary processes. KSW is one of the first hospitals in Switzerland with the appropriate qualification. "Our success with the EARL qualification is the result of close collaboration between the medical team, MTR, administration, specialist nursing, medical physics, radiation protection and the clinical partner disciplines at KSW," Bernd Klaeser, Head of Nuclear Medicine at KSW, is quoted as saying in a statement from the hospital.

The term theranostics is made up of the words therapy and diagnostics. It describes personalized medicine and refers to tests or procedures that can be used both diagnostically and therapeutically. In the treatment of cancer, theranostics can help to specifically identify and treat the tumor cells.

Nuclear medicine procedures at the KSW include radioiodine therapy for thyroid diseases, radioligand therapy for prostate cancer and radiopeptide receptor therapy for neuroendocrine tumors. "All of these methods reach tumor cells in a very targeted manner," says Klaeser. Which of these is suitable in each individual case depends on the type and spread of the tumor as well as the individual circumstances. The EARL qualification now confirms that the necessary nuclear medical clarification, therapy planning and treatment are always carried out in accordance with quality assurance processes. ce/mm