A radiopharmaceutical is a drug that can be used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. It is made up of a combination of radioisotopes and organic molecules. The organic molecule transports the radioisotope to a specific organ. Radioisotopes are selected based on their properties.
Radioisotopes that emit penetrating gamma rays are used for diagnosis (imaging), at which time the radiation must escape to the outside of the body before being detected by a dedicated device (SPECT/PET camera). Normally, the radiation emitted by the isotope used for imaging will disappear after 1 day by radioactive decay and normal body excretion. The most commonly used isotopes for imaging include: 99mTc, I-123, I-131, Tl201, In111, and F18.
A radioisotope that releases short-range particles (α or β) can lose all of its energy in a very short distance, causing significant local damage (such as cell damage) and is therefore used for treatment. This property is used for therapeutic purposes: to combat analgesia in palliative care of cancer cells, bone cancer or arthritis. These isotopes stay in the body longer than the isotope used in imaging; the aim is to improve the efficacy, but its residence time in the body is still evident for several days. The most commonly used therapeutic isotopes include: I131, Y90, Rh188, and Lu177.
The production of these radiolabeled molecules requires expertise in the pharmaceutical industry within the safety conditions of nuclear equipment. Therefore, such equipment must comply with the pharmaceutical industry's quality management practices, in order to protect workers, the environment and patients, while also complying with the principles of the nuclear industry that can reasonably be as low as possible. The largest equipment for the production of radiopharmaceuticals is located in Europe and North America.
Similar to other traditional drugs, radiopharmaceuticals must demonstrate their harmlessness to patients and their therapeutic benefit before achieving routine clinical applications. This recording procedure is strictly managed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). From clinical discovery to delivery to physicians, the standard duration for such degrees is typically 5 to 8 years.
Nuclear medicine and you
Nuclear medicine examinations are often used for diagnosis and treatment. In nuclear medicine diagnostics, the metabolic process is visualized by administering a radiopharmaceutical to a patient by dermal injection, intravenous infusion, oral tablet or inhalation. These substances accumulate in certain parts of the body and visualize the metabolic processes in the corresponding parts. With a dedicated inspection device, the gamma camera, weak radiation can be made visible and converted into a diagnostic image (scintifiform) to show the spatial distribution of diseased cells in the body. In nuclear medicine treatment, short-range dedicated radiation is used. Such substances are administered to the diseased cells and destroyed by radioactive radiation. The most famous example of this method is radioactive iodine treatment in patients with thyroid disease.
