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Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine
Currently the most common therapeutic uses of medical isotopes are for treatment of
thyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism, cancer bone pain, and polycythaemia (abnormal
increase of red blood cell).
Some of the most exciting cancer treatments utilizing medical isotopes are emerging from
current research being conducted on cutting-edge medical applications. As research
physicians test these promising radioisotope-based treatments at research hospitals and
universities they gradually make their way up the ladder of clinical trials as required for
FDA approval.
Certain experimental treatments have had such remarkable success that current cancer
sufferers should be made aware of their potential. Lives have been saved in numerous
cases of patients with fatal brain tumors, lymphomas and leukemia. In several clinical
trials testing experimental treatments, very positive results were achieved on patients who
had exhausted all other treatment options with no success.
Central to the progress of new radioisotope treatments has been the invention of unique
and effective "delivery systems" which enable physicians to point the selected isotope
directly at the diseased tissue. One of the most promising is called radioimmunotherapy.
In this technique, radioisotopes are attached to antibodies with a specific affinity for
certain cells in the body. The antibodies guide the isotope to the cancer cells where the
radioisotope then destroys them.