Nuclear Medicine Therapy

This book considers how Nuclear Medicine treatments have been further developed in the past several years and are now widely applied in clinical practice, especially in oncological patients, in addition to radioiodine therapy for various thyroid diseases. These treatments are very effective when properly indicated, but side effects and complications specifically related to the radioactive drugs and other potential clinical problems should also be considered, since other treatments, e.g. chemotherapy or radiotherapy, are frequently administered before, simultaneously with and/or after radionuclide therapies.  Consequently, cumulative toxicities and treatment interactions must be considered, and physicians prescribing treatments should be capable of preventing (when possible) and properly diagnosing and treating such side effects and complications. Accordingly, expertise in radionuclide therapy and extensive clinical expertise are required to appropriately manage critical cases. This book provides essential information on the physiopathology and radiopharmacy of radionuclide treatments and addresses potential side effects and complications by providing a rapid consultation guide for clinicians: synopses, diagnostic flow-charts and treatment schedules for a range of nuclear medicine treatments

Luca Giovanella completed his doctoral degree at the Medical School of University of Pavia (I) in 1991. Subsequently, he obtained his post-graduate Degree in Nuclear Medicine (1995) and Endocrinology (2000) at the University of Milan, as well as an Executive Master in Health Organization and Human Resources Management (2000) at the Politecnico Universitario of Milan. He served as a consultant at the Department of Nuclear Medicine-University Hospital “Fondazione Macchi” of Varese from 1993 to 2002, and chaired the Thyroid Unit and the Laboratory for Endocrinology from 1995 to 2002. He serves as Chairman of the Clinic of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and the Competence Centre for Thyroid Diseases at the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) in Bellinzona and Lugano (Switzerland) since 2003. He also serves as Scientific Advisor to the Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine at EOC in Bellinzona. He served as Privat-Dozent (PD) from 2008 to 2014 and has been Titular Professor at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University of Zurich, since 2015. His clinical and scientific activities are mainly focused on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases as well as molecular imaging and theranostics