The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) held its Annual Meeting June 24th-28th in Chicago, IL, and Pheo Para Alliance was there to spread awareness about pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma! Researchers from around the world gathered in Chicago for presentations focused on topics as personal as individual responses to nuclear therapies, and as broad as the role of artificial intelligence in the future of the field.
As a part of this meeting each year, SNMMI holds a Patient Education Day to offer patients and caregivers the opportunity to learn about nuclear medicine and how it is used to diagnose and treat many conditions. This year’s event was held on Sunday, June 25th and featured presentations from Dr John Sunderland, University of Iowa, Dr. Thor Halfdanarson, Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Dr. Dan Pryma, Penn Medicine, and Josh Mailman, NorCal CarciNETs. Some key takeaways from the presentations include
- The FIND Act – legislation which changes how providers are compensated for nuclear medicine – is key to increasing access to nuclear medicine for those who need it
- Nuclear medicine is a well-established, safe branch of medicine that can be a vitally important part of diagnosing or managing many diseases
- Participation in clinical trials is very low, as is the level of diversity among participants
- The CU-64 (copper) DOTATATE scan is as effective as GA-68 (gallium) DOTATATE, but can be offered at more facilities because CU-64 can be distributed farther from where it was produced due to its longer half-life (learn more about these compounds in this webinar)
- Azedra remains the only treatment approved by the FDA for pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. MIBG scans are used to evaluate patients for this therapy
- Somatostatin Analogue (PRRT) therapy is a potential option for some patients with pheo para.
[UPDATE 08/2023: View an important announcement about AZEDRA here.]
Huge thanks go out to Saundra Underwood for joining us at Patient Education and at our booth! Next year’s Annual Meeting/Patient Education Day will be held June 8th-11th in Toronto. See you there!
Did you miss the live event? Watch the videos here.
