Interventional nuclear medicine[edit]
Radionuclide therapy can be used to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, skin cancer and blood disorders.
In nuclear medicine therapy, the radiation treatment dose is administered internally (e.g. intravenous or oral routes) or externally direct above the area to treat in form of a compound (e.g. in case of skin cancer).
The radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine therapy emit ionizing radiation that travels only a short distance, thereby minimizing unwanted side effects and damage to noninvolved organs or nearby structures. Most nuclear medicine therapies can be performed as outpatient procedures since there are few side effects from the treatment and the radiation exposure to the general public can be kept within a safe limit.
Common nuclear medicine (unsealed source) therapies
| Substance | Condition |
|---|---|
| Iodine-131-sodium iodide | hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer |
| Yttrium-90-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) and Iodine-131-tositumomab (Bexxar) | refractory lymphoma |
| 131I-MIBG (metaiodobenzylguanidine) | neuroendocrine tumors |
| Samarium-153 or Strontium-89 | palliative bone pain treatment |
| Rhenium-188 | squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma of the skin |
In some centers the nuclear medicine department may also use implanted capsules of isotopes (brachytherapy) to treat cancer.
Commonly used radiation sources (radionuclides) for brachytherapy[3]
| Radionuclide | Type | Half-life | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caesium-137 (137Cs) | γ-ray | 30.17 years | 0.662 MeV |
| Cobalt-60 (60Co) | γ-ray | 5.26 years | 1.17, 1.33 MeV |
| Iridium-192 (192Ir) | β−-particles | 73.8 days | 0.38 MeV (mean) |
| Iodine-125 (125I) | γ-rays | 59.6 days | 27.4, 31.4 and 35.5 keV |
| Palladium-103 (103Pd) | γ-ray | 17.0 days | 21 keV (mean) |
| Ruthenium-106 (106Ru) | β−-particles | 1.02 years | 3.54 MeV |
0 Comments