OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this symposium are to evaluate the current status of radiopharmaceutical therapy in the world in general and in the developing countries in particular, to exchange information on the current advances in the field between scientists from developed and developing countries; to interact with user groups (clinicians, oncologists, surgeons, radiopharmacists, medical physicists, etc.) and to bring them the most important information in the field, and to define future directions. The major emphasis of the symposium will be to involve the end-users and stake holders of radionuclide therapy, e.g., oncologists, endocrinologists, radiation oncologists, rheumatologists, hematologists, physicians and surgeons. The objectives are to enhance awareness and sell the technology to our clinical colleagues.

THE SCOPE AND TOPICS TO BE COVERED
The Symposium will cover topics and issues on all aspects of radiopharmaceutical therapy through a number of plenary lectures, papers, panel discussions and interactive audiovisual sessions. The topics to be addressed at the symposium include the following:

• Reviews in therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals
• Development of new radiopharmaceuticals
• Clinical overviews of the current trends in radionuclide therapy
• Radionuclide therapy:
  — Treatment of primary cancer,
  — Treatment of metastatic disease,
  — Pain palliation.
  — Treatment of benign diseases (Rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism etc.)
• Prognostication in cancer therapy
• Dosimetry
• Monitoring
• Molecular methods in radiopharmaceutical therapy
• Treatment planning
• Use of new instruments (PET/CT, dedicated cameras, hand held cameras, etc.) in radiopharmaceutical therapy planning
• Drug resistance
• Radioimmuno-detection and therapy
• Infrastructure development
• Training
• Education

EXPECTED RESULTS
Through organization of this conference we expect to accomplish the following:

1. To carry out an evaluation of the current status of radiopharmaceutical therapy globally
2. To help in the transfer of important information on the current trends in radiopharmaceutical therapy from developed to developing countries
3. To involve our other non-nuclear medicine clinical colleagues and other end-users of our technology in a much more productive and positive manner in decision making and implementing the radionuclide therapeutic procedures
4. To publish a technical document based on the proceedings of the Symposium
5. To promote radiopharmaceutical therapy globally in general, and in developing countries in particular and
6. To formulate a strategy for promoting radiopharmaceutical therapy around the world.

WORKING LANGUAGE
The working language of the meeting will be English. All communications, synopses, abstracts and papers must be sent in English.

VISAS
Participants who require a visa to enter India should submit the necessary application to the nearest diplomatic or consular representative of India as soon as possible. A formal letter of invitation may be provided (on request) by the local host in India in case a participant needs it for visa purpose. .

SECRETARIAT
The Scientific Secretary of the Symposium is Prof. A.K. Padhy, Chairman, World Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Council; Senior Consultant, Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Tel: +65-63214201, Fax: +65-62240938, Mob: +65-81287726, E-mail: ajitpadhy1@yahoo.co.uk

The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee in India is Dr. Pankaj Dougall, Head, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Max Devki Devi Heart & Vascular Institute, 2 Press Enclave Road, Saket, New Delhi 110017. India. Tel: +91 11 2651 5050; E-mail: pdougall@maxhealthcare.com

CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
All professionals who intend to participate in the conference should register on-line. All subsequent correspondence on scientific and administrative matters should be sent to the Conference Secretariat.

PAPERS AND POSTERS
All papers, apart from invited review papers, must present original work; they should not have been published elsewhere.

SUBMISSION OF EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
Persons who wish to present a paper or poster at the conference must submit an extended synopsis (in English) on line latest by 5 April 2007. The synopsis should contain a maximum of 800 words and include four clearly identifiable elements of content: Rationale, methods, results and conclusion. The synopsis will be considered by the Programme Committee and if accepted - will be reproduced in unedited form in a supplementary issue of the World Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

PAPER/POSTER ACCEPTANCE
In order to provide ample time for discussion, the number of papers that can be accepted for oral presentation is limited. If the number of relevant and high quality papers submitted for selection exceeds the acceptable number, some of them will be selected for presentation as posters. Authors will be informed whether their papers/posters have been accepted for presentation on the basis of the extended synopsis. The WRPTC, however, reserves the right to refuse the presentation or publication of any paper that does not meet the expectations based on the information given in the extended synopsis. Further details concerning the written and oral presentation at the meeting will be sent to all authors in due course. .

PARTICIPATION
All professionals who intend to participate in the Symposium should register on-line on or before 5th April 2008. Please note that only on-line registration is available. There is no registration fee. Registration for the conference is free like all previous WRPTC activities.

EXPENDITURES
The conference will be held in Goa, India, which offers some of the magnificent landscapes and tourist attractions in the world. Goa is a former Portuguese colony, currently a state in India's West region. It is 3700 square kilometres in size and has a human population of approximately 1.4 million. Its east-west mix, beaches and syncretic culture is what attracts an officially-estimated two-and-half million visitors each year. Out of these, about 400,000 are foreign tourists, the rest coming from other regions of India. Portuguese culture and architecture can still be found. Some call it "India lite", a easy-to-encounter version of India. Goa has its brown-tiled roofs, beaches, a reputation for centuries as a place where cultures and people meet, and undoubtedly, the holiday capital of South Asia.

Dr. P. Dougall has been designated as the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee. We are inviting several International organizations to collaborate with us in this endeavour. We are also expecting that the nuclear medicine industry would participate in large numbers in the organization of the congress. Please note that no registration fee is charged to the participants. Registration is free. As a general rule, the WRPTC does not pay the cost of attendance, i.e. travel and living expenses, of participants. In order to make it easy and possible for the professionals from all over the world including from the developing and least developed countries, the WRPTC in collaboration with the local organizer, has developed a comprehensive package which would include the following:

Accommodation in a first class hotel in Goa for four nights and 5 days, all breakfasts, four lunches, all coffee breaks, airport transportation, four dinners, social activities and excursions in and around Goa. The cost of this entire package would be INR. 27,000.00 (Approximately US$ 690.00) in Single accommodation and INR 31,000.00 in double accommodation (Approximately US$ 800.00). For two persons sharing a room the cost of the entire package would be around INR 15,500.00 (Approximately US$ 400.00) per person. Please note that this is the best deal we could get after a lot of negotiations with various hotels and agencies. October-December is the best time to visit Goa and India. The tourist inflow to Goa and India is supposed to be at its peak during this time of the year. We would therefore request you to register and confirm your participation by paying your lump-sum at the earliest. Please do not wait for the deadline, since the rooms are limited and we reserve the rooms on a first come first served basis.

We are planning to organize the conference in a very friendly and cordial atmosphere, offering positive interaction between professionals from all fields of nuclear medicine. We will strive hard to accommodate all participants in one of the best hotels in Goa (Holiday Inn Resort). All academic, social and excursion activities will be organized in such a way that everyone would get a chance to participate in them. All in all every effort will be made to make it a memorable symposium. It may be noted that the hotel rooms are limited and will be allocated to participants on a first come first serve basis. It is therefore important to register early and make the lump-sum payment early. In order to plan our activities well and make them cost-effective, all candidates who intend to attend the conference will be required to pay the entire package amount well in advance, but definitely before 5 May 2007.

ACCOMMODATION
Detailed information on accommodation and other items will be sent to all confirmed participants well in advance of the meeting directly from India.