List of isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element which differ in neutron number, and consequently in nucleon number. All isotopes of a given element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in each atom. The following is a list of isotopes that have important applications in medicine, particularly in the fields of diagnostic imaging, cancer treatment, and nuclear medicine.

Diagnostic Imaging Isotopes

• Technetium-99m: Used in the majority of diagnostic imaging procedures in nuclear medicine due to its ideal characteristics for medical imaging and its relatively short half-life.
• Iodine-123: Employed in thyroid scans, and also in the diagnosis of neuroblastoma and in imaging the brain's dopamine transporters.
• Fluorine-18: Used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans, especially in the form of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for oncological imaging.

Therapeutic Isotopes

• Iodine-131: Widely used for the treatment of thyroid cancer and in some cases for hyperthyroidism due to its ability to destroy thyroid tissue.
• Strontium-89 and Samarium-153: These beta-emitting isotopes are used in the palliative treatment of bone pain from bone metastases.
• Radium-223: An alpha emitter used for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer to the bone.

Research Isotopes

• Carbon-14: While not used directly in patient care, Carbon-14 is crucial in biomedical research, including pharmacological studies.

Safety and Regulation

The use of radioactive isotopes in medicine is strictly regulated to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers. Regulatory bodies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the United States, and international organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), set guidelines and standards for the safe handling and disposal of radioactive materials.

See Also

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiopharmaceutical
• Radiotherapy
• Diagnostic Imaging