Brève description / annotation
Nuclear�medicine�is�a�growing�specialized�medical�field�in�which�radiopharmaceuticals,�i.e.�drugs�associated�to�radioactivity,�are�used�for�diagnostic or�therapeutic�purposes.�Since�1942,�nuclear�medicine�has�progressed�in�such�a�way�that�it�became�a�major�diagnostic�tool�in�hospitals.�The�past ten�years�have�seen�the�introduction�of�major�technical�breakthroughs�which�will�considerably�modify�the�landscape�of�cancer�treatment. Once�injected�to�the�patient,�the�radiopharmaceutical�drug�aims�at�the�tumour cell�- including�metastases�- selectively,�settles�there,�and�emits radiation.�Depending�on�the�radiation�type,�the�drug�will�either�help�identify�the�cells�or�destroy�them.�Applications�are�not�limited�to�oncology; Indeed,�nuclear�medicine�has�found�interesting�applications�in�cardiology�and�neurology�as�well. The�new�millennium�saw�the�introduction�of�the�Hybrid�imaging�technology�PET/CT�which�combines�the�Positron�Emission�Tomography�(PET) modality�with�conventional�high�quality�x-ray�imaging.�It�took�another�two�years�until�PET�could�be�combined�with�Magnetic�Resonance�Imaging (MRI)�in�the�hybrid�equipment�PET/MR.�New�tracers�(drugs�for�diagnosis)�also�came�on�the�market�with�different�diseases�as�targets,�such�as prostate�cancer,�neuroendocrine�tumours,�or�Alzheimer's�disease.�But�the�recent�introduction�of�radiotherapeutics�in�the�treatment�of�cancer�has brought�major�changes�on�the�market,�for�they�can�be�much�more�powerful�and�specific�than�chemotherapeutics�or�external�radiation�therapy. Combining�radiodiagnostics to�select�positive�responders�to�a�treatment�with�efficient�radiotherapeutics�opens�a�highway�for�the�development�of theranostics,�another�word�for�personalized�medicine. This�scientific�book�aims�to�introduce�nuclear�medicine�to�a�larger�audience,�pointing�out,�among�other�things,�the�difficulties met�by�both physicians�and�patients�when�trying�to�access�new�technologies.�This�second�edition�shows�how�much�progress�has�been�made�over�the�past�ten years�since�the�original�book�was�published,�and�how�much�can�be�expected�for�patients�within�the�next�few�years.
