Applications:
- It is used as a primary therapy for the treatment of malignant tumors.
- It is also used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
- Strontium 89 and samarium 153 are radio pharmaceuticals commonly used for tumors that have spread to the bone (bone metastasis).
- The thyroid gland absorbs nearly all of the iodine in the blood. Because of this, I 131 can be used to destroy the thyroid gland and thyroid cancer with limited effects on the rest of the body.
- Radioactive phosphorus can be infused into the abdominal cavity or the linings around the lungs to treat malignant fluid accumulation in these cavities.
- Radio labeled monoclonal antibodies attach only to their specific target, bringing radiation directly to the site. It is also used to treat some non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
