Title: Isotopes in Medical Diagnostic

Name: Phenicia De Peiza

Id Number: 816018940
Department of Physics
PHYS 3160: Medical Physics and Bioengineering
Date: 28/03/23
 Nuclear medicine therapy is a method used against cancerous tumors, it uses radioactive
isotopes as a drug, which is administered intravenously, and the radioactive molecules bid to the
tumor cells. Nuclear medicine therapy typically uses alpha and beta radiation which is able to
penetrate the body and is ionizing. When the radioactive drug is administered, the drug is
directed to the cancer cells by a target protein that binds to the cancer cells, once the drug binds
to the cancer cells it causes cell death to occur to the cancer cells with limited damage to healthy
cells due to the low dosage of the radioactive drug. ((OHSU 2021) (IAEA 2016) since it is
radioactive drugs, there are side effects, such as nausea, hair loss and in rare cases some people
may develop blood cancer. (Mayo Clinic 2022) Phosphorus-32 is an isotope, that emits beta
particles, it is used in nuclear medicine therapy, it is typically used to treat ovarian cancer.
Nuclear diagnostic test are test that use radioactive molecules to diagnose medical conditions,
when used for diagnosing, radioactive drugs are referred to as radiotracer. The radiotracer is
injected into the body and binds to specific regions of the body so it shows up in large amounts
in that specific area. A machine such as a PET scan, CT scan or MRI machine can be used to
identify the radiotracer in the body by detecting the energy emitted by the radiotracer and
determine the problem within the patient. A radiotracer that can be used in technetium-99 which
is used in diagnosing thyroid function. (RSNA 2022)

Phosphorus-32 is an isotope used in nuclear medicine therapy, it is a beta emitter that can
penetrate skin up to 0.8cm, it is not naturally found so it must be artificially produced. It is
produced by irradiating potassium dihydrogen phosphate, sulfur or phosphorus peroxide
(PubChem 2023) The nucleus of the irradiated molecules obtain a new neutron from the
radiation and it in turns emits a proton, causing the atomic number to drop by one, while keeping
the mass number at 32 allowing us to obtain phosphorus 32. It can be used to located malignant
tumors as well as to treat ovarian cancer, the beta radiation emitted from decay accumulated in
the tumor, leading to cell death due to the ionizing ability of the beta radiation, which damages
the DNA in the cell. (NIH 2023)

Technetium-99 is an artificially produced isotope, made from molybdenum-98 atoms that

are bombarded by deuterons via a cyclotron, which accelerates the deuterons. Molybdenum-98
captures a neutron from the deuteron and becomes technetium-99. T99 emits gamma rays when
it decays, gamma rays are low energy electrons, that do not remain in the body long, as it moves
out of the body, it can be detected by gamma cameras such as the SPECT camera. Once the
technetium is administered to the patient, there is a six hour window in which to wait before it
can be detected. It is used to image the skeleton, heart muscles, brain, thyroid, liver, spleen and
many other organs. (Washington State Department of Health 2002) The emission is picked up by
the camera to produce 3D pictures that show the function of the body, such as blood flow to the
brain, from and to the heart, this means it can be detect blood clots. (Mayo Clinic 2022)

In conclusion, radioactive substances are useful in nuclear medicine which has two main
aspects: imaging and therapy. In nuclear medicine therapy, radioactive drugs are administered to
cancer patients to be used alongside chemotherapy, the radioactive drugs bind to the cancer cells
and damage the DNA which causes cell death to the cancer cells, such a radioactive drug is
phosphorus-32, which is made by the irradiation of sulfur. Nuclear diagnostic imaging is when
radioactive drugs are administered as a tracer, the energy produced by the radiotracers are
detected by a machine such as a PET scan or SPECT scan. Technetium-99 is one such isotope
for imaging, it is used in SPECT scans and emit gamma radiation which is picked up by a
gamma camera.
 Bibliography

IAEA. 2016. “Radionuclide Therapy, How It Works | IAEA.” Iaea.org. April 13, 2016.
https://www.iaea.org/topics/radionuclide-therapy.
Mayo Clinic. 2022a. “Nuclear Medicine Therapy - about Nuclear Medicine Therapy.” Mayo
Clinic. 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/nuclear-medicine-
therapy/sections/about-nuclear-medicine-therapy/gnc-20489020.
———. 2022b. “SPECT Scan - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org. 2022.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/spect-scan/about/pac-20384925#:~:text=A
%20single%2Dphoton%20emission%20computerized,camera%20to%20create%203D
%20pictures..
NIH. 2023a. “NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.” National Cancer Institute. Cancer.gov. 2023.
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/phosphorus-p-32.
———. 2023b. “NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.” National Cancer Institute. Cancer.gov. 2023.
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/phosphorus-p-32.
OHSU. 2021. “Nuclear Medicine to Treat Cancer | OHSU.” Ohsu.edu. 2021.
https://www.ohsu.edu/knight-cancer-institute/nuclear-medicine-treat-cancer.
PubChem. 2023. “Phosphorus Radioisotopes.” @Pubchem. PubChem. 2023.
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Phosphorus-
Radioisotopes#section=Methods-of-Manufacturing.
RSNA, America. 2022. “General Nuclear Medicine.” Radiologyinfo.org. 2022.
https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/gennuclear.
Washington State Department of Health. 2002. “Technetium-99m ( 99m Tc) WHO
DISCOVERED TECHNETIUM?”
https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/Pubs//320-083_tc99_fs.pdf.