10.6.5

Radioactive Implants

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Radioactive Implants

Radiopharmaceuticals are used for cancer therapy when they can be localized well enough to produce a favourable therapeutic ratio.

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Iodine

  • Thyroid cancer is commonly treated utilizing radioactive iodine.
  • The therapeutic ratio can be quite high for short-range radiation.
  • There is, however, a significant dose for organs that eliminate the radioactive substance from the body, such as the liver, kidneys, and bladder.
  • As with most radiotherapy, the technique is limited by the tolerable amount of damage to the normal tissue.
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Implants

  • If a tumour is far inside the body it is preferable to have the source of radiation inside the body to limit damage to normal tissue.
  • If this is the case an implant is often used.

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1Measurements & Errors

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3Waves

4Mechanics & Materials

5Electricity

6Further Mechanics & Thermal Physics (A2 only)

7Fields & Their Consequences (A2 only)

8Nuclear Physics (A2 only)

9Option: Astrophysics (A2 only)

10Option: Medical Physics (A2 only)

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12Option: Turning Points in Physics (A2 only)

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