{"id":151436,"date":"2026-10-25T21:10:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=151436"},"modified":"2026-10-25T21:10:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:10:51","slug":"st-lukes-opens-dedicated-theranostics-center-at-anderson-campus-expanding-access-to-advanced-cancer-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=151436","title":{"rendered":"St. Luke\u2019s Opens Dedicated Theranostics Center at Anderson Campus, Expanding Access to Advanced Cancer Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo caption: One of four private infusion bays designed specifically for patients receiving theranostic treatments. (photo provided courtesy of SLUHN)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network has expanded its advanced cancer treatment capabilities with the opening of the St. Luke\u2019s Theranostics Center at St. Luke\u2019s Anderson Campus, a dedicated facility designed to provide patients with access to some of the most innovative targeted cancer therapies available today.<\/p>\n

The new center features four private infusion bays designed specifically for patients receiving theranostic treatments. Co-located with St. Luke\u2019s Nuclear Medicine department, the center allows patients to receive consultations, imaging and treatment in one convenient, coordinated location.<\/p>\n

A Personalized Approach to Cancer Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historically, nuclear medicine has been used to diagnose and treat disease. More recently, modern theranostics has evolved through the development of sophisticated imaging agents and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies that have significantly expanded treatment options for cancer patients.<\/p>\n

Theranostics is an innovative approach to cancer care that combines advanced imaging and targeted treatment using specialized radioactive medicines. The term combines the words therapy<\/em> and diagnostics<\/em>, reflecting a personalized process in which physicians first use one radiopharmaceutical to identify and evaluate the extent of the disease throughout the body and then use a related radiopharmaceutical to deliver treatment directly to those same cells throughout the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheranostics is a personalized approach to cancer care that helps us identify disease, determine whether a patient is a candidate for treatment and then deliver therapy directly to cancer cells using paired radioactive particles and molecules that stick to the cancer cells themselves,\u201d said Edgar Cheng, MD, diagnostic radiologist and SLUHN Division Chief of Nuclear Medicine. \u201cIt enables us to treat cancer with remarkable precision while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dedicated Expertise and Specialized Care<\/strong><\/p>\n

The center’s physician team includes Dr. Cheng, Dr. Jay Riccardi and Dr. Steven Yang, all board-certified diagnostic radiologists with specialized expertise in nuclear medicine.<\/p>\n

Patients receiving care through this program are supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes clinical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, radiopharmaceutical therapy specialists, imaging technologists, and registered nurses.<\/p>\n

The patient journey begins with a comprehensive consultation and education session, during which the care team explains the treatment process, discusses radiation safety precautions and answers patient questions.\u00a0 Depending on the prescribed therapy and the type of cancer being treated, patients may receive a series of infusions over several months. Following treatment, patients return for follow-up imaging, laboratory testing and ongoing care coordination with their oncologist and other members of the cancer care team.<\/p>\n

Cancers Treated Through the Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

Currently, the St. Luke\u2019s Theranostics Center treats patients with:<\/p>\n