Nuclear oncology, expected to radically change cancer care for patients in the region, is now part of Willis Knighton Cancer Center’s comprehensive range of cancer treatment services. Nuclear oncology, known as theranostics, is one of the most advanced methods to precisely diagnose and treat cancer.

On this date in 1941, Dr. Saul Hertz first administered and monitored the distribution of radioactive iodine in Boston, Massachusetts, introducing an era of radioisotope treatments and radiotheranostics. In honor of that groundbreaking invention, Willis Knighton Cancer Center is launching their nuclear oncology program on World Theranostics Day.

“The opening of the nuclear oncology department expands the options for cancer treatment in our community,” said Jaf Fielder, president and CEO of Willis Knighton Health. “Our exceptional medical and radiation oncologists and physicists have led the way in cancer treatment in our region, and this is yet another in a long list of new advanced technologies to enhance cancer treatment for patients at Willis Knighton.”

With the addition of radiotheranostics, the Cancer Center has undergone a $7 million expansion that includes the addition of the newest and most advanced molecular imaging tools in the country. It has added a second PET/CT scanner and the first GE HealthCare StarGuide SPECT/CT system in Louisiana. The StarGuide SPECT/CT system combines a nuclear medicine single photon emission computed tomography system and a computed tomography system. The system’s 12 CZT detector design not only scans patients in 3D to provide more information to clinicians but also is optimized for certain theragnostic procedures, which in turn helps clinicians pinpoint the size, shape, and position of lesions with exceptional accuracy. This type of scan provides physicians with data to assist in diagnosing, treating and monitoring cancer therapy, helping to expand the horizon of personalized treatment.  

“StarGuide SPECT/CT’s innovative technology is a significant contribution to oncology care at Willis Knighton Cancer Center. The expertise of their newly launched nuclear oncology program staff, combined with the scanner’s unique capabilities, will bring the benefits of radiotheranostics to more patients in the communities they serve,” said Dr. Ilya Gipp, global clinical oncology leader, GE HealthCare. “We are dedicated to continuously advancing technologies that enable greater personalization of care, improve patient outcomes, and reduce the cancer burden in communities worldwide.”

The scan is performed to monitor treatment after a radioactive isotope is injected to selectively destroy cancer cells by targeting them through specific receptors. With this level of precision, healthy tissue near the cancer cells may be less affected and risk for side effects is reduced.

This expansion for nuclear oncology continues Willis Knighton’s commitment to offering patients the most sophisticated and innovative levels of technology. Willis Knighton’s Proton Therapy Center, which opened in 2014, remains the only proton therapy center in the state. It was the first in the world to offer compact intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT).