Week#7: Why Radioisotopes?

According to http://www.cnea.gov.ar/Produccion-Radioisotopos the radioisotopes are elements (isotopes) that emit radiation and are used for different purposes. Each of these isotopes have different characteristics such as the type of radiation emitted (alpha, beta, gamma) and the period of semi-decay, among others.

Applied in the area of health, radioisotopes have two main uses:

• To diagnose: Radioactive isotopes of elements like carbon, iodine and molybdenum are used to explain the operation of certain organs. They are called "tracers". After being administered to the patient (orally or intravenously), generate a contrast that allows obtaining a series of images with a gamma camera or positron emission tomography (PET). The main applications of these techniques are related to the detection of cancer in thyroid, liver, gall bladder, intestines, heart and lung, among others.
• To treatment: Ionizing radiation is used to kill cancerous lesions. To do this, the tumor is exposed to doses from external sources of radioactivity (X-ray equipment, radiation therapy with cobalt-60 source) or internal (brachytherapy, metabolic radiotherapy). 

Just as there are radioactive elements in nature, there are also others that are artificially created by man making use of certain techniques an example of these are the radioisotopes.

The radioisotopes are the agent that are used in nuclear medicine and it is the principal ingredient both diagnosis and treatment. Without it the nuclear medicine it is impossible.