Preface – EANM 2022

© private – Oana C. Kulterer, MD, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Biomedical Imaging and ­Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Dear Colleagues,

After two years of virtual events, the nuclear medicine and oncology communities were excited to meet each other in person at the 35th Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, held in Barcelona, Spain, and virtually from 15th – 19th October 2022. The event has celebrated its status as the world’s leading meeting for nuclear medicine, with more than 7000 participants from 121 countries presenting and discussing groundbreaking clinical updates and scientific research advancements in several disease areas. More than 1,000 oral abstracts and 865 e-posters were presented at the event in 223 scientific sessions.

Since the radioligand therapy with 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Pluvicto®) was approved by both FDA and EMA in 2022 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), this memo inOncology special issue provides not only an insight into the latest advancements in imaging and treatment of mCRPC but also of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

The prostate cancer imaging section includes results from two phase 3 trials, PYTHON and SPOTLIGHT, investigating novel radio-diagnostic tracers for PET ­imaging as well as biomarker analysis from the TheraP trial assessing the predictive benefit of PSMA- and FDG-PET with clinical outcomes.

Next, the latest developments in prostate cancer treatment are highlighted with emphasis on patient-reported outcomes from the VISION trial and quality of life data of 177Lu-PSMA-617 in a palliative setting. Multiple clinically relevant trials are summarized using Lu-PSMA (both PSMA-617 & PSMA-I&T) prospectively and in a real-world setting. Moreover, radioligand therapy for mCRPC using alpha emitters such as 225Ac-PSMA, which have gained importance in recent years as a last-resort treatment option in mCRPC patients, is also described.

Data regarding two promising fluor­ine-18 labeled somatostatin analogues (SSA) targeting PET/CT alternatives, as well as a retrospective analysis of 1000 NET patients with somatostatin receptor SSR-PET/CT and matching liver MRI performed within a short interval are included in the imaging section of NETs.

Finally, the promising efficacy and safety data of 177Lu-DOTATATE in a first randomized trial in advanced progressive SSR-positive pancreatic NET patients as well as from a multi-center registry, are summarized in the final section. As an add-on, you can find retrospective data of 225Ac-DOTATOC in the upfront as well as salvage treatment setting in patients with NETs.

Overall, this meeting once again highlighted that the era of theranostics offers an excellent opportunity to improve cancer care with new treatment paradigms and innovations on the horizon. Based on the intensive scientific exchange at the EANM 2022, theranostics are on the rise to becoming an imminent core of personalized cancer treatment.

We hope you enjoy reading this special issue!

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