Nuclear Medicine Therapy

  Yttrium-90 or Y-90 is a commonly used isotope in the medical field specially in departments like nuclear medicine and radiation oncology for radiation therapy. This radioisotope is relied upon to provide a prescribed amount of radiation to a targeted area , such as a tumor. One of the most common uses of Y90 is during an internal radiation therapy called radioembolization. Radioembolization or  Transarterial Radioembolization  using Y-90 involves the use of glass/ resin spheres that are filled with the isotope and placed directly into the blood supply of the liver tumor through a minimally invasive procedure. These spheres get lodged within the tumor itself. The doctors then block off the blood vessels to prevent blood flow (embolization). These Y-90 labelled spheres then get to work by radiating and destroying the tumor. Commonly, Y-90 labelled spheres are used for the treatment of liver tumors, primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and unresectable primary colore...

  Nuclear Medicine, as a treatment protocol for Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) has been used in many countries across the globe for many a years. PRRT  or Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy is a type of Nuclear Medicine Therapy in which a cell-targeting protein or peptide is combined with a small amount of radioactive material that created a special type of radiopharmaceutical known as a Radiopeptide. This radiopeptide is injected into a Neuroendocrine Tumor patient’s bloodstream. Unlike healthy cells, the neuroendocrine tumor cells or NET cells have proteins on their cell surface. These proteins, also known as receptors, bind themselves to hormones, such as somatostatin. Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy or PRRT with lutetium 177 dotatate or Lu177 targets these receptors with radiopeptides and deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor cells. How PRRT for NET works? – Method of Action 1.       A peptide i.e. a group of amino acids is c...