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The use of radioactive elements in medicine

Hearing that radioactive materials are used in modern medicine may be a bit unsettling if

you don’t know what it means. If you are like me, you immediately think of a big, scary monster

made out of radioactive waste, or maybe I have an overactive imagination. However, radioactive

materials are frequently used in modern western medicine. This paper will highlight and

discusses various ways in which radioactive elements are used in medicine sector.

Radioactive materials are used for both diagnosing and treating illnesses. For diagnosis,

radiopharmaceuticals are swallowed, injected, or inhaled. “The material collects in the area being

studied, where it emits photons,” according to the USNRC. The dye highlights the area being

studied, most commonly thyroid, bone, heart, and other organs (Atroshchenko and Sigaev, 396).

These may be seen through pet scans. “The most widely used radioisotope in diagnostic nuclear

medicine,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, “is technetium-99m. It can be

attached to several specific molecules, allowing the diagnosis of many diseases, including certain

types of cancers.” (IAEA). These tests can determine if an organ or other area of the body

contains cancerous material.

Nuclear medicines are a big part of medical procedures. Imaging devices, which register

gamma rays, such as X-rays, CT Scans and Ultra Sounds, are two and three degree

dimensional pictures which allows for the study of the organs which can determine part of the

diagnosis within the patient and the organs. Diagnostic tracers in nuclear medicines uses
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tracers, which I assume would be the dye that they place within the IV to get a better imaging

of the area for their diagnosis, emits gamma rays within the body. You can also take these

tracers orally as well to get the needed results for imagery.

The earlier techniques detected single protons detected by a gamma camera, which

allows several different camera angles. The camera builds up several images from the point to

which the radiation is emitted. In other words, where the camera detects a bright illumination,

there is where you can notice the problematic areas within the patient.

Radioactive materials are also essential to biomedical researches that seek the cures for

AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and others life threatening illnesses. There are also metabolic researches that

occur with radioactive elements with medicine. These are done for finding ways to genetically

engineer things that could also prolong the lives of human beings suffering from things like

liver diseases and etc. Being that if one day, scientist can genetically engineer a new liver

or clone one versus having to add you to the list of millions waiting to get a donor, this can

be another proving way to prolong life. One more type of biomedical research is chemical

reaction imagery. PET is a well-known form because it enables scientist to watch color

images of chemical reaction to living tissue and other particular traces to opioids, or morphine

typed drugs that can pain within the brain.

One of the most remarkable uses of radiopharmaceuticals is the treatment of cancer.

Cancers like thyroid, bone, and prostate can be treated through what is called systemic radiation

therapy. They are administered through an IV. The radiopharmaceuticals travel through the

blood, and antibodies help attacks the cancer cells. During systematic radiation therapy sessions,

patients should refrain from kissing or sexual contact, use separate utensils, towels, and laundry,

keep physical distance between others, and limit contact with children and pets (Iturralde, 125).
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This is all due to the fact that radioactivity is harmful, the pros just happen to outweigh the cons

when it comes to terminal illness.

All in all I would say that without Radioactive elements being discovered, we would

lack a lot of the necessary means to help people survive cancer and other life threatening

illness. I want to say that radiation is one of the major components in helping cure cancer

patients who are in their earlier stages of cancer. However, sometimes the odds are against them,

but it can still give them more days to appreciate the sun, live for the moment and add another

memory in their book of life. So I am very happy for the new found uses with radioactive

elements within medicines, being that I have experienced it and will endure the journey once

again.

The American Cancer Society says, “Radiation works by making small breaks in the

DNA inside cells. These breaks keep cancer cells from growing and dividing and cause them to

die.” Cancerous cells grow and divide much faster than healthy cells do. Radiation therapy is

usually a local treatment, whereas chemotherapy exposes the entire body. Radiation may be used

pre-surgery, to reduce the size of the cancerous mass, or after surgery, as a preventative measure

to keep the cancer from returning.

Although radiopharmaceuticals have a remarkable history of eliminating cancerous cells,

there is a lengthy list of side effects. The American Cancer Society lists the early side effects of

radiation therapy as “fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes (dryness, itching, blistering, or

peeling). Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss

and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area.” (Scheinman, 86). For

women, radiation may cause infertility. They also mention eating problems, such as nausea and

vomiting, and low blood count. People going through radiation therapy generally do not feel
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100%. The late side effects are a bit more concerning, as there are few studies that have been

completed about the long-term effects of radiopharmaceuticals. Illnesses such as

hypothyroidism, radiation fibrosis syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, heart disease, and even

secondary cancer have been linked to radiation therapy. (Eldridge "Long-Term Effects of

Radiation Therapy Everyone Should Know" 2017)

Medical treatments containing any form of radiation may increase your chances of

developing another cancer. This is even stated on the American Cancer Society’s website.

Radiation causes leukemia, a blood cancer, in particular. Radiation has been known to cause

cancer in people who have been exposed to radon, most likely through working as a miner, and

even from working around radiology equipment. Accidental exposure to radiation may be the

most tragic way to develop cancer. One of the most severe nuclear accidents to date is the April

1986 Chernobyl disaster, in which nine children died of thyroid cancer, and an estimated 4,000

more people suffered cancer related deaths among the approximately 600,000 most highly

exposed people in that area (Zimmermann, 246). Another radiation incident causing cancer is the

2011 explosion of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Children in Tokyo tested

extremely high in levels of radiation.

Though the side effects may be difficult, many have concluded that the positives

outweigh the negatives when it comes to radioactivity in medicine. Until alternatives such as

cannabis are legalized nationally, those suffering from terminal illnesses may only have radiation

therapy as their option of treatment.

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Work Cited:

Atroshchenko, G. N., and V. N. Sigaev. "Glassy microspheres and their applications in nuclear

medicine." Glass and Ceramics 72.11-12 (2016): 397-404.

Iturralde, Mario P. Dictionary and handbook of nuclear medicine and clinical imaging. CRC

Press, 2018.

Scheinman, Lawrence. The international atomic energy agency and world nuclear order.

Routledge, 2016.

Zimmermann, Richard. Nuclear medicine: radioactivity for diagnosis and therapy. EDP

sciences, 2019.