Published in MPW, 16 Feb 2015
Medical physicists in France have generated a series of medical isotopes from the irradiation of thorium-232 (Th-232). One of the products decays into thorium-226, a promising isotope for alpha radionuclide therapy, while another product is molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) – an increasingly sought-after isotope used in diagnostics (Phys. Med. Biol. 60 931).
Radioisotopes are used in medicine for both cancer therapy and diagnosis. For therapy, there is a small demand for alpha emitters – isotopes that decay with the release of a helium nucleus – since these can deliver a high dose of radiation over a very short range. For diagnosis, there is a sharply increasing demand for metastable technetium-99 (Tc-99m), a gamma-emitting isotope that is already used in upwards of 25 million examinations every year. […]
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