Is This Whom We Have Become?

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Johannes Czernin

During the June 2018 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the authors of the best articles of 2017 were honored. The best basic science award went to Dr. Fabien Hyafil for his article entitled “Imaging the Cytokine Receptor CXCR4 in Atherosclerotic Plaques with the Radiotracer ⁶⁸Ga-Pentixafor for PET” (1). Dr. Martin Grootendorst was awarded the best translational science manuscript for “Intraoperative Assessment of Tumor Resection Margins in Breast-Conserving Surgery Using ¹⁸F-FDG Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging: A First-in-Human Feasibility Study” (2).

The 2018 award for best clinical and best overall manuscript of 2017 went to an outstanding group of clinician scientists for their article “German Multicenter Study Investigating ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 Radioligand Therapy in Advanced Prostate Cancer Patients” (3).

The first 2 authors of this paper had enthusiastically agreed to accept the award in person, but only Dr. Kambiz Rahbar was present during the ceremony. Dr. Hojjat Ahmadzadehfar, the second author of the article, mailed the following letter and gave his permission to publish it.

Dear Prof. Czernin,

Unfortunately, I cannot attend the congress this year and therefore I cannot attend the award ceremony. The reason for this is that I did not get a visa for entry. Since I have a dual nationality (Iranian and German), I have to apply for a visa under US regulations. I did that on March 14. Although you usually get feedback within a few weeks (max 6 weeks), I have not received a visa yet. I have repeatedly asked the US embassy about my visa, each time they wrote me that my case is still being processed. They have not returned to me even my passport.

My good friend Prof. Kambiz Rahbar is there for the award and he will also represent me.

I apologize for the circumstances, but it is beyond my power.

With best regards,

Hojjat

Prof. Dr. med. Hojjat Ahmadzadehfar, MSc

Head of the therapy section

University Hospital Bonn

Dear Dr. Ahmadzadehfar,

You apologize for the circumstances. It is, of course, we who have to apologize.

I would hope that common sense, respect, normal human behavior and decency will be reintroduced in the foreseeable future.

Sincerely and Congratulations to winning the best manuscript award,

Johannes Czernin

• © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.