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Nuclear Medical Advances

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This essay argues why nuclear technology used in medicine is beneficial and the advancement of nuclear medicine should continue in the future. Nuclear medicine uses radioisotopes for both treatment and diagnostic purposes. Radioactive tracer molecules are emitted to produce images, which can then be used to examine and diagnose a patient to provide further treatment. Radiation is also used to treat cancer by eradicating cancerous cells. Further advancements of nuclear technology is conducted in trials and is progressing to hopefully treat different types of disease, all using radionuclides.

Radionuclides are chemical elements that are radioactive with short half-lives. Although they can be found in nature, all radionuclides used in nuclear …show more content…
For example, fluorine-18 compounds are used to access brain degeneration and cognitive function, being useful in psychological diagnostics. Computed tomography (CT), PET and SPECT is commonly used for diagnostic treatment. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emitted computed tomography (SPECT) are used for scans by distributing radioactive tracer molecules to produce a 3D image by emitting gamma rays within the body. Since exposure is low and only given in the least amount of radiotracers, it is safe and useful for examinations. A radioisotope used for diagnosis must emit gamma rays of sufficient energy to escape from the body and must have a half-life short enough for it to decay away soon after imaging is completed and doses administered for diagnostic treatment are well below the level of radiation toxicity. This process is much simpler and the risks are highly low, while more invasive procedures such as exploratory surgery and biopsy can be averted. The average radiation exposure per x-ray is 28 mSv, and one would need approximately 36 x-rays throughout your lifetime to raise your risk of cancer by .05%. Although there is a slight risk factor, the benefits of obtaining a clear image, in which can be used to provide treatment, greatly outweigh the low chances of excessive radiation exposure. …show more content…
Treating cancer through radiation treatment has be proven to be the most effective way eradicate cancerous cells and treat the disease, along with chemotherapy and surgery as part of their treatment plan to prevent the cancer from spreading. Radiopharmaceuticals are administered in low amounts, as to follow the radiation principal, making it safe and effective. Radiation therapy can be taken alone or alongside chemotherapy. Radiation, in most cases, has proven to be an effective method of treatment and is rapidly progressing with improved results. For example, a new analysis of records in the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry shows a positive impact with the use of SBRT on patients with early stage lung cancer. Survival rates rose form 12.7 percent to 28.5 percent, concurrent with increased utilization of SBRT from 4.7 percent to 60.3 percent. Fours years to follow up, survival rates in lung cancer patients were highly increased for SBRT patients in comparison to CRT patients. “We identified that this doubling was due to the introduction of these advanced radiation techniques collectively termed stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT. These findings of improved survival in stage I lung cancer patients in general, and those undergoing radiation specifically, are generalizable to patients outside the VHA. Although a number of studies are underway to

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