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INNOSC Theranostics

and Pharmacological Sciences

REVIEW ARTICLE
Precision medicine in neurosurgery: The

evolving role of theranostics

Drashti Patel, Andrew Nguyen, Chance Fleeting, Anjali B. Patel,
Mohammed Mumtaz, and Brandon Lucke-Wold*
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Abstract

Theranostics in neurosurgery is a rapidly advancing field of precision medicine that
combines diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to optimize patient outcomes.
This approach has the potential to provide real-time feedback during therapy and
diagnose a condition while simultaneously providing treatment. One such form of
theranostics is focused ultrasound, which has been found to be effective in inducing
neuroablation and neuromodulation and improving the efficacy of chemotherapy
drugs by disrupting the blood–brain barrier. Targeted radionuclide therapy, which
pairs positron emission tomography tracers with therapeutic effects and imaging
modalities, is another promising form of theranostics for neurosurgery. Automated
pathology analysis is yet another form of theranostics that can provide real-time
feedback during the surgical resection of tumors. Electrical stimulation has also shown
promise in optimizing therapies for patients with cerebral palsy. Overall, theranostics
is a cost-effective way to optimize medical care for patients in neurosurgery. It is
a relatively new field, but the advancements made so far show great promise for
*Corresponding author: improving patient outcomes.
Brandon Lucke-Wold
(brandon.lucke-wold@
neurosurgery.ufl.edu) Keywords: Focused ultrasound; Radiopharmaceuticals; Electrical stimulation; Cerebral
Citation: Patel D, Nguyen A, palsy; Intraoperative consultation; Automated pathology analysis
Fleeting C, et al., 2023, Precision
medicine in neurosurgery: The
evolving role of theranostics,
6(2):417.
https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.417 1. Introduction
Received: April 9, 2023 Neurosurgery is a complex field of medicine where individual differences can
Accepted: July 13, 2023 significantly impact patient outcomes. Recent advances in technology and the
development of novel therapies have paved the way for precision medicine, which
Published Online: August 3, 2023
aims to personalize clinical care using a scientific framework . Precision medicine
[1]
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). accounts for biopsychosocial differences among patients to optimize standardized
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the clinical procedures for each patient’s unique prognosis. One such approach within
Creative Commons Attribution precision medicine is theranostics. The term “theranostics” is a combination of
License, permitting distribution, diagnostics and therapy. It was coined by John Funkhouser in 2002, but despite being
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is a relatively new term, the concept has been applied and revisited over many years [2,3] .
properly cited. When a patient requires a neurological procedure, diagnostic imaging is typically
Publisher’s Note: AccScience conducted beforehand to assess the patient’s diagnosis before proceeding with surgery.
Publishing remains neutral with Theranostics aims to combine these two objectives together to improve the accessibility
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional of neurosurgery, as well as patient outcomes. There are two types of theranostics within
affiliations. neurosurgery: (i) Combined treatment and diagnostics within the same medium or (ii)

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2023) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.417