Interventional Nuclear Medicine
Radionuclide therapy can be used to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, and blood disorders.
In nuclear medicine therapy, the radiation treatment dose is administered internally (e.g. intravenous or oral routes) rather from an external radiation source.
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 |
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
| Radionuclide | Type | Half-life | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caesium-137 (137Cs) | γ-ray | 30.17 years | 0.662 MeV |
| Cobalt-60 (60Co) | γ-rays | 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 |
Most nuclear medicine therapies will also require appropriate patient preparation prior to a treatment.
Read more about this topic: Nuclear Medicine
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