radiopharmaceutical

A radiopharmaceutical is a radioactive drug used in medicine for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. These substances contain radioactive atoms and are crucial in fields like nuclear medicine and radiotherapy.12

In diagnosis, radiopharmaceuticals act as tracers. They are introduced into the body (orally, injected, or inhaled) and their distribution is tracked by the radiation they emit, allowing physicians to visualize organs, blood flow, and tissue function using imaging techniques like SPECT and PET. For example, technetium-99m is used for organ imaging, while iodine-131 helps measure thyroid gland activity.345

Therapeutically, radiopharmaceuticals are used to destroy diseased cells, particularly in cancer treatment. Radiation beams or particles disrupt the DNA of targeted cells, preventing their replication. The radioactive atoms are often incorporated into larger molecules that help direct the drug to specific organs or tumors.236