Theranostics

Theranostic is a portmanteau formed from the two terms in therapy and diagnostics.

Under theranosis refers to the increasingly closer integration of diagnostics and therapy. The aim of theranostics is to enable the correct treatment to the right patient at the right time.

Theranosis is the therapy-accompanying diagnosis, with the goal of patient-specific therapy. The main elements of diagnosis in theranosis include the determination of the genetic predisposition, the characterization of the stage of the disease and monitoring the healing progress. Theranostic agent will, among other things, the adequacy and effectiveness of a drug for a particular disease in an individual patient can be determined.

In English-speaking countries, the terms personalized medicine and predictive medicine be used in conjunction with theranostics very often.

The " conventional" approach

In the usual procedure, the attending physician, the diagnosis based on the patient's symptoms. He then builds on the subsequent therapy. He is partially supported by results from laboratory tests and imaging procedures. The success of the initiated therapy is usually determined by the disappearance of the symptoms. This is possible only at a late stage of the treatment principle.

The theranostic concept

Proponents of the concept say theranostic a change in the health system of a service for the sick to a health service ahead .. Here is the maintenance of health ( wellness) are the focus.

To realize this concept, a comprehensive diagnosis is necessary, which recognizes the predispositions and changes in health Statuses in a presymptomatic stage as possible, ie before the patient himself the symptoms of his disease is responsible may collect.

This will be generally used in vitro diagnostic methods such as DNA chip technology. The imaging methods, especially molecular imaging will continue to increase for the early diagnosis important. This diagnosis can be made at a very early stage in the disease process, even before showing the molecular changes in anatomical restructuring. For example, could be diagnosed as having the current techniques such tumors up to 7 years earlier.

Examples of theranosis

Some preliminary elements of theranosis have already been realized. An example of this is the individualized chemotherapy in vitro chemosensitivity determination.

Some authors September 25, 1998 is seen as the " birth" of the theranostic when the FDA approval for trastuzumab (Herceptin ®, Genentech) for the treatment of stage IV breast cancer and for HercepTest ® ( Dako) for the diagnosis of Überexpremierung of Her2 granted.

However, both examples are only the first steps of theranosis that of the actual concept - are still far away - the earliest possible detection of diseases at the molecular level.