Medical Sunday will take place again on 17 August 2025.
The topic is: ‘From immunotherapy to theranostics: precision medicine in modern cancer treatment.’
Magdeburg University Hospital, Urania Magdeburg and Volksstimme cordially invite you to the next edition of Medical Sunday. This time, the focus will be on ‘From immunotherapy to theranostics: precision medicine in modern cancer treatment.’ The speakers, Prof. Dimitrios Mougiakakos, Director of the University Clinic for Haematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy Magdeburg, and Prof. Michael Kreißl, Head of Nuclear Medicine at Magdeburg University Medical Centre, (spokesperson for the Thyroid Section of the German Society of Endocrinology and chairman of the Thyroid Committee of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine) will provide exciting insights into current procedures, innovative techniques and gentle methods.
- Date: 17 August 2025 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Lecture Hall 1 on the main campus, Building 26 (near the university library), Pfälzer Straße, 39104 Magdeburg
Admission is free. All interested parties, relatives and patients are cordially invited to attend.
Photo (from left): Prof. Dimitrios Mougiakakos, MD, and Prof. Michael Kreißl, MD. Photo: UMMD
Oncological diseases – i.e. cancers – arise from uncontrolled cell growth in the body. Cells lose their normal division regulation, multiply unchecked and can destroy or displace healthy tissue. Cancer can affect almost any organ and spread to neighbouring tissue or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic system (metastasis). The most common oncological diseases include tumours of the lung, breast, prostate and thyroid, as well as haematological cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma.
The treatment of cancer is complex and increasingly requires personalised approaches. In addition to surgery, classic chemotherapy and radiation, modern methods such as immunotherapies, molecular target structures in haematological oncology and ‘theranostics’ (a combination of diagnostics and therapy) are gaining importance in nuclear medicine. The aim is to make therapies more targeted, effective and tolerable – tailored to the individual characteristics of the tumour.
Leukaemia – colloquially referred to as blood cancer – and malignant lymphomas are serious haematological cancers that affect the blood-forming and lymphatic systems. In leukaemia, precursor white blood cells in the bone marrow degenerate, which can lead to the displacement of healthy blood cells and the systemic spread of leukaemia cells via the bloodstream. The central nervous system and internal organs can also be affected. The disease occurs in various forms – from sudden acute variants to slowly progressing chronic variants.
Prof. Mougiakakos has been working on blood and lymph gland cancer for over 15 years. Stem cell transplantation is a vital form of therapy for patients with leukaemia. At Magdeburg University Hospital, a specialised inpatient ward with the internationally recognised JACIE quality seal is available for this purpose and for CAR-T cell therapy.
Modern approaches in nuclear medicine, especially theranostics, are opening up new perspectives in personalised cancer treatment. This involves combining diagnostic imaging with therapeutic radionuclides in a targeted manner – for example, to precisely locate and simultaneously combat diseased cells. For haematological neoplasms, this represents a step towards individualised therapy: the choice and dosage of treatment can be tailored precisely to the tumour using molecular markers and imaging techniques. This approach is currently used frequently, especially in prostate cancer, but there is also promising initial data for other tumours. The future of oncology thus increasingly lies in the combination of diagnostics and therapy – for more effective patient care with fewer side effects.
Medical Sunday is a collaboration between Urania Magdeburg e.V., Volksstimme and Magdeburg University Hospital. Medizinische Sonntage provides insights into numerous medical topics. Experts in the respective fields provide information on symptoms, state-of-the-art diagnostics and therapy options at the highest scientific level. After the lectures, interested parties have the opportunity to discuss their questions directly with the medical professionals.