Analyzing Theranostics in Radiation Oncology at the 2026 ACRO Summit

At the 2026 Annual American College of Radiation Oncologists (ACRO) Summit, experts in radiation oncology across a multitude of disease states gathered to discuss the hottest and latest topics in the field. Among them, CancerNetwork® spoke with Brandon Mancini, MD, MBA, FACRO, about the importance of theranostics in the wake of a discussion he delivered titled, “Theranostics in radiation oncology: Building programs, empowering teams, shaping the future”.

Theranostics, by definition, is a personalized medical approach that combines targeted therapy with diagnostic molecular imaging. Mancini, the medical director for BAMF Health, as well as the editor at large for the RadOnc Review and host of the RadOnc on the Run podcast, stated that it is currently advancing in radiation oncology, and that the platform of ACRO provides a voice to help expand it even further.

On top of focusing on what theranostics is, the discussion touched upon the data that has led to many FDA approvals across many disease states, including the important role radiation oncology has to play with regards to theranostics. He ended by stating that, hopefully, the talk would serve as a call to action to motivate more radiation oncologists to use theranostics daily in their own practice.

Transcript:

Why is theranostics an important topic in radiation oncology right now?

Theranostics in general is this escalating field within radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, and oncology and beyond. This is a neat opportunity, with ACRO being one of the salient meetings in radiation oncology to continue the conversation, get more in depth to theranostics, and to excite or motivate people to consider this as part of their practice each and every day.

What are some of the key takeaways from your discussion on theranostics at ACRO?

It’s going to be reviewing exactly what theranostics is, for those who may not be aware, reviewing the data that has led to the FDA approval of the agents we use each and every day, reviewing why radiation oncology plays an important role within this space, and a call to action to motivate people to be interested, involved, and consider incorporating this into their cancer care every day.