Targeted Radionuclide Therapy
Introduction
Radionuclide therapy is the use of ionizing radiations in the management of cancer. The primary goal of the therapy is to kill the cancerous cells completely or cause damage to the DNA of the tumor cells, thereby preventing these cells from undergoing further development, division, and growth (Bolus & Brady, 2011). Radionuclide therapy can have a curative effect if the target cancer cells are localized to a specific region of the body and have not spread. It is also used as a component of adjuvant therapy, where it is used to prevent the possibility of tumor cells that have been removed through surgery from recurring again. Radiation can also be done together with chemotherapy before, during, or after the procedure in cancers that are very susceptible (Schulz-Ertner, Jakel & Schlegel, 2006). The purpose of this discussion is to give an introduction about radionuclide therapy, its types and uses, and to compare it with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Discussion
The most common type of radiation therapy that is used involves exposure of patients to external radiations. In this method, a beam containing high-energy X-rays is directed to a specific region of the body to irradiate the main tumors. However, the problem with this technique is that the ability to hit normal tissues of adjacent organs (Noda et al., 2009). Different from this, targeted radionuclide therapy functions like chemotherapy. A radionuclide labeled molecule is administered either orally or intravenously such that it delivers radiations that are sufficiently toxic to the site of the disease to kill the target cells (Bolus & Brady, 2011). However, the main difference with chemotherapy is that the drugs or toxins only...
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...he effectiveness of the treatment is rated to be from 40% up to 95% in terms of pain relief (Bolus & Brady, 2011;Lutz et al., 2011).
Conclusion
Targeted radionuclide is among the important technological developments in the field of radiotherapy. It can be used as a solo procedure over the external radiation exposure and chemotherapy, though they can be used in combination if this assures optimal results. This procedure is highly advantageous over the conventional methods and should be considered as the choice procedure, especially in bone metastatic tumors. Among its main applications is its use in control of thyroid cancer, which shows a huge decreases in thyroid cancer rate and improve patient’s life style. Radionuclide therapy also shows its effect in pain palliative of bone metastasis. Both applications have proven to be easy to administer, safe, and effective.
The current standard of therapy is resection of the tumor plus radiotherapy and TMZ (E5). Multiple studies performed between 1976 and 1991 have led postoperative radiotherapy to be accepted as standard treatment (L12). The universal dosing schedule for radiotherapy in GBM is fractionated irradiation over 6-7 weeks for a total of 60 gray (Gy) (G7,M13). TMZ is an oral alkylating agent that can be used concomitant with radiotherapy and as an adjuvant. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) organized a study showing that adding TMZ to standard radiotherapy is beneficial to overall survival. This study enrolled 573 patients from 85 institutions and randomly assigned eligible patients to receive either standard radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant TMZ. There was a 37% decrease in relative risk of death and a median increase in survival of 2.5 months in patients treated with TMZ and radiotherapy when compared to radiotherapy alone (P<0.001). There are adverse effects with both RT and chemotherapy, but hematologic toxicities are more likely to occur in patients treated with both TMZ and RT (M13). This study maintained its validity after accounting for recursive partitioning analysis classifications (L12). The current standard dose of TMZ is 75 mg per square meter of body surface area daily during radiotherapy and then a dose of 150-200 mg per square meter of body surface area for 5 days of each 28-day cycle following RT (G7,M13).
...). This patient, after treatment, had complete ROM and was able to get back to daily activities (Papa 2012). GISTM has shown to work on all types of injuries whether the patient had surgery or not. GISTM is becoming a well-known tool in the clinical world and is a reason for faster recovery periods (Black 2010).
... complimentary to other forms of pain management is that which extensively highlights its effectiveness.
3. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) delivers small high doses of high radiation to a precise target within the body, and is usually considered for early stage lung cancer.
At this day in age we are constantly trying to improve the field of medicine in any way that we possibly can. We cherish every birthday and continually try to prolong life. Not only through every field of medicine, especially in terms of cancer. The American Cancer Society is “the official sponsor of birthdays” and is making leaps and bounds in the types of care that cancer patients receive. One of these many breakthroughs is the practice of Stereotactic (Body) Radiotherapy or S(B)RT. SBRT and other radiation therapies have the ability to greatly improve the way that we treat the issue of cancer and the variation of treatment options; however, they have raised the concerns of long term effects from radiation and cost-effectiveness. As research has begun to show, radiation therapies are having great success in curing cancer.
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
...atment is safe because radio-iodine is able to deliver a sufficient amount of radiation to the thyroid allowing to slow the hormone production, and only deliver a small amount to the body. The radiation delivered to the body is far from harmful and is only equivalent to the amount of radiation delivered from two routine diagnostic X-Ray procedures such as a gastrointestinal series ("Educational Material"). The form of treatment has been used for 35 years and over one million patients in the United States have been assisted through the treatment of radioactive iodine ablation. Most physicians will rely on this treatment and recommend 90 percent of their over active thyroid patients to receive the radioactive iodine ("Educational Material"). The treatment, till this day, is known to continuously alleviate the majority of symptoms hyperthyroidism patients have today.
It is used for the treatment of arthritis and also for treating the back pain, shoulder pain and knee pain.
Radiation therapy is a complex treatment plan to treat cancer in patients. Its treatment can be used alone or in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is delivered by a team of individuals who specialize in the treatment of cancer. There are several ways in which the radiation can be delivered to the patient with specialized equipment. Radiation therapy is an exciting field of study that can be beneficial to patients who are affected by cancer.
Technetium-99m is the single most important radioactive isotope used for medical diagnostic studies. It accounts for nearly 85% of all diagnostic imaging procedures in nuclear medicine. In this application, the radionuclide is chemically attached to a drug chosen for its tendency to collect in a specific organ of the body, and this solution which is your tracer, is then injected into the patient. After a short time, an image can be collected using a radiosensitive detector such as a scintillation counter or gamma camera. This technique is useful for:
As a starting point in CT diagnostic imaging the form of radiation used to provide an image are x-rays photons , this can also be called an external radiation dose which detect a pathological condition of an organ or tissue and therefore it is more organ specific. However the physics process can be described as the radiation passes through the body it is received by a detector and then integrated by a computer to obtain a cross-sectional image (axial). In this case the ability of a CT scanner is to create only axial two dimensional images using a mathematical algorithm for image reconstruction. In contrast in RNI the main property for producing a diagnostic image involves the administration of small amounts of radiotracers or usually called radiopharmaceutical drugs to the patient by injection or oral. Radio meaning the emitted of gamma rays and pharmaceutical represents the compound to which a nuclide is bounded or attached. Unlike CT has the ability to give information about the physiological function of a body system. The radiopharmaceutical often referred to as a nuclide has the ability to emit ga...
Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.
Radiation therapists work closely with patients to fight cancer. According to Health Care Careers, Oncologists, Dosimetrists and nurses are some of the professionals that a radiation therapist works with while caring for a cancer patient. This group of professionals will determine a specialized treatment plan. The first step usually includes a CT scan performed by a radiologist to find the exact area that needs to be targeted with x-rays. Next, the therapist uses a special machine that emits radiation called a Linear Accelerator. They use this machine during a treatment called external beam therapy. During this process, the Linear Accelerator will project x-rays at targeted cancer cells or tumors. Another therapist will be in a different room monitoring the patient’s viral signs until the procedure is over. The external therapy l...
it, only slow it down. In the first stages the drugs are very successful. and the patient is kept in relatively good health. In the final stages However, drugs are almost completely unsuccessful and the only thing that can be done for a patient is to make him comfortable with easing drugs. They are a good choice.
Wouters, B. G., & Brown, J. M. (1997). Cells at intermediate oxygen levels can be more important than the hypoxic fraction in determining tumor response to fractionated radiotherapy. Radiation Research, 147(5), 544. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.prx.library.gatech.edu/stable/3579620?seq=4