In: Chemistry
List at least three medical uses of nuclear energy and explain whether they depend on alpha, beta, or gamma reactions.
Worldwide nuclear energy or nuclear radiation is used for diagnosis and treatment in number of medical cases.Radioisopes are used in two mathods for treatment of cancer
1. external irradiation : it is also called teletherphy in which Co-60 is used as radio active gamma beam source. In this procedure gamma radiation from 201 sources focus on exact tumour and removes the tumour, hence it also known as gamma knife surgery.
2. internal radio nuclide theraphy : In this theraphy a tiny ratioation source like gamma or beta emitter on effected atrger tumour. for example in the treatment of thyroid cancer iodine-131 is mostly implanted.
3. Brachytheraphy, this is more effective in treatment of prostate cancer in which Paldium -103 is used.
4. Lu-177 dotatte is used in treatmnet of neuroendocrine tumours. this is low energy beta emitter with some of gamma radiation
5. for the disperced cancer treatment new technology has cameup with TAT( Targeted Alpha Therapy), in which vergy energetic alpha radiation is used to target the effected surface,
example : Bismuth-213 and lead-212 are used in TAT in treating the malonoma, pancriatic and ovarian cancers.