ICRT 2016: International Focus on Theragnostics.

T he 11th International Conference of Radiopharmaceutical and Molecular Therapy (ICRT) was held in Kochi, Kerala, India, November 13–17, and was organized under the umbrella of the World Association of Radiopharmaceutical and Molecular Therapy (WARMTH) and in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The meeting included presentations on various applications of radionuclides for therapy of cancer and other diseases. The major objective of WARMTH, for which I serve as the current president, is to set standards for provision of radiopharmaceutical therapy, particularly in development of uniform protocols for clinical practice of therapeutic nuclear medicine worldwide (1). The goals of this year’s meeting, as in previous years, were to: (1) evaluate the current status of radiopharmaceutical therapy on a global basis; (2) help in the transfer of important information on current trends in radiopharmaceutical therapy from developed to developing countries; (3) publish a technical document based on the proceedings of the symposium; (4) promote radiopharmaceutical therapy on a global scale, particularly in developing countries; and (5) formulate strategy documents for promoting the practice of radiopharmaceutical therapy around the world. More than 160 registered participants from more than 50 countries attended this meeting. The agenda, program, and abstracts were published in the latest World Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2016;15[4]), a WARMTH publication. The meetings organized by WARMTH are conceptually different from those of other congresses. No parallel sessions are offered, so that all participants can take part in all conference scientific activities as well as in the organized social activities. This ICRT meeting in Kerala (often referred to in India as “God’s own country”) was a highlight for those with theragnostic interests in nuclear medicine, with the theme “From Controversies to Consensus in Radiopharmaceutical Therapy.” Plenary lectures focused on various nuclear medicine therapy procedures, and many of the distinguished speakers shared their experiences and addressed the state of the art and new developments in therapies. The scientific sessions organized throughout the meeting truly reflected WARMTH’s mission, with the goal of providing the best treatment and care for our patients, as well as therapy-related diagnosis and follow-up. An important highlight of this conference was the inauguration of the Ajit Padhy Memorial Oration to be delivered by a world-renowned professional belonging to the global nuclear medicine family (2). This recognition was awarded at ICRT 2016 to Hossein Jadvar, MD, PhD, MPH, MBA, associate professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles). Dr. Jadvar, the immediate past president of SNMMI, was recognized for “his contribution to education, research, and clinical work in nuclear medicine.” A 2-day ICRTwill be held on October 20 and 21, 2017, in Vienna, Austria. Details will be available at warmth.org.