Have you heard of radiopharmaceuticals? Let's learn about them in a simple way!

Has your doctor ever asked you to have a special scan, like a PET scan? Or talked about a special injection as a treatment for cancer? Then you probably feel a little scared when you hear the word "radioactive." But don't be afraid. Today we're talking about this amazing type of medicine that is very advanced in medical science, used to diagnose and treat diseases.

What are these radiopharmaceuticals?

Simply put, these are special drugs that are designed for use in medicine, with very small and controlled amounts of radiation. Strictly speaking, these are a type of medicine. But inside this drug there is something like a small "tracker". We can monitor the energy emitted by it with special cameras.

These are made, distributed, and used by people who have received special training in this area. For example, nuclear pharmacists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists use them with great care.

What are these medicines used for?

There are two main uses of these Radiopharmaceuticals. One is to detect diseases (Diagnostic) , and the other is to treat diseases (Therapeutic) . Imagine that using the same technology, we can both detect a problem inside the body and treat that problem. Let's look at these two separately.

1. How to help diagnose diseases (Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals)

This is the most common way these drugs are used. What happens here is that you drink, inhale, or inject a very small, safe amount of this radioactive drug into your body. We also call these radiotracers .

Once inside the body, the medicine goes to the area where there is a disease, infection, or problem. Then, a special camera, such as a gamma camera, is used to take pictures of the areas where the medicine has accumulated. From these pictures, the doctor can see exactly how your organs are working, how your blood is flowing, or whether there are any cancer cells.

• Examples:
• PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography scans): A drug called `Fluorine-18` is commonly used for this.
• Bone, liver, and kidney testing: The drug `Technetium 99m` is the most widely used in the world for this purpose.
• Lung function testing: A drug called `Xenon-133` is inhaled.
• Heart muscle testing: A drug called `Rubidium-82` is injected into a vein.

2. Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals

This method is a relatively new, but very effective treatment method, especially for cancer. It involves injecting a slightly stronger radioactive drug into the body than is given to detect the disease.

This is like a missile that goes straight to the target. This drug directly seeks out cancer cells, attaches to them, and destroys them. The biggest advantage of this is that there is very little damage to other healthy cells in the body. Because this treatment directly targets only the cancer cells. This is different from the treatment method that uses radiation from outside (`External Beam Radiation Therapy`).

The difference between the two main uses

To understand it easily, let's look at the difference between these two uses.

What are radiopharmaceuticals used in cancer treatment?

There are several highly effective radiopharmaceuticals currently approved for cancer treatment.

• PLUVICTO® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan): This is used to treat some cases of prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).
• Lutathera™ (`Lutetium Lu 177 dotatate`): This is used to treat certain neuroendocrine tumors that occur in the stomach, pancreas, and intestines.
• Iodine-131: Used to treat thyroid cancer and conditions that cause excessive production of thyroid hormones, such as Graves' disease.
• Radium-223: When prostate cancer has spread (metastasized) to the bones, this is very effective in destroying cancer cells in those bones.

In addition, clinical trials are currently underway for the use of these drugs for a number of other types of cancer, meaning that this will be a very important part of cancer treatment in the future.

Are these drugs really safe? Should we be afraid?

This is the biggest question everyone has. It's normal for us to get scared when we hear the word "radioactive." But this is the truth.

Imagine, the amount of medicine given to diagnose diseases is so small that it won't harm your body. It will be completely eliminated from your body within a few hours or days.

The dosage of the medication given for treatment is a little stronger than that. Therefore, some side effects may occur. But as with any medication, here too, doctors look at whether the benefits of the medication outweigh the side effects. When compared to the chance of curing a serious disease like cancer, those side effects can be managed.

If you are prescribed a treatment or test like this, your doctor will explain everything to you about it, its benefits, and possible side effects. Ask about any questions or concerns you may have at that time.

Radiopharmaceuticals, Radioactive drugs, PET scan, Cancer treatment, Nuclear medicine, Technetium 99m, Iodine-131, Sri Lanka