Nuclear data for medical applications: an overview

Abstract

A brief introduction to nuclear data in medicine is given. The choice of a radioisotope for medical application demands an accurate knowledge of radioactive decay data. Short-lived single photon and β + -emitters are preferred for diagnostic investigations, and longer-lived corpuscular radiation emitting radioisotopes for endoradiotherapy. The nuclear reaction cross section data, on the other hand, are needed for optimising the production routes. Besides radioactive isotopes, the use of ionising radiation in therapy is discussed. External radiation therapy has achieved an important place in medicine. The role of nuclear data is briefly discussed; they are needed for radiation dose calculations. The hitherto rather neglected activation products in proton therapy are considered. The methodology of development of a nuclear data file for medical applications is outlined.

Thin target cross sections for proton-induced formation of radionuclides from lead for E p≤71 MeV

“…Besides their importance in basic research, they provide the data basis for many applications, e.g. modelling the formation of cosmogenic nuclides in terrestrial and extraterrestrial matter [1] or the production of medically relevant radionuclides [2]. Recent publications on the concepts for accelerator driven transmutation of nuclear waste (ADTW) [3] and energy amplification (ADEA) [4] have shown the urgent need for new and improved data and revealed a great lack of information on the production of residual nuclides in heavy targets like lead and bismuth.…”

Uses of alpha particles, especially in nuclear reaction studies and medical radionuclide production

“…The major disadvantage, however, comes to light while calculating the thick target yield for a certain energy range ( 1 to 2 ) which makes use of the following equation (cf. [54]):…”

A Picture of Modern Tc-99m Radiopharmaceuticals: Production, Chemistry, and Applications in Molecular Imaging

“…In this case, the radioactivity coming from the radiopharmaceutical, carrying the diagnostic information outward from the body, is detected and transformed in a very precise picture of the radiopharmaceutical's distribution in the body by means of so-called "gamma cameras" working with sophisticated computerized algorithms. On the contrary, radionuclides decaying through the emission of massive particles, such as electrons or alphas, can be used in nuclear medicine for radionuclide therapy to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases [6][7][8].…”