Radioactive Implants
Physics: AQA A Level, topic 10.6.5
Radioactive Implants
Radiopharmaceuticals are used for cancer therapy when they can be localized well enough to produce a favourable therapeutic ratio.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Radioactive Implants
Why is it sometimes better to use implanted radiation in medical treatment?
Which of these statements about radioactive treatments are true?