Explore the World of Radioisotopes: How They Are Produced - Essay Sample

Introduction

Some chemical elements exist in different particular variants known as isotopes. The atoms of isotopes carry an equal number of protons but vary in the number of neutrons in each of the atoms. The radioactive isotopes of an element are referred to as radioisotopes. The nucleus of radioisotopes emit excess energy due to the unstable combination of protons and neutrons. This condition occurs naturally and can also be induced by altering the atom. Radioisotopes are produced in a nuclear reactor at times. Molybdenum-99 is an example of an isotope produced in a nuclear reactor. Uranium is the best known and widely –used naturally occurring isotope. Uranium-238 comprises of 99.3% of the naturally occurring Uranium. The rest is uranium-235, which is more radioactive and less stable (Verma, 2017). Radiation emission by radioisotopes is used in the medical industry to treat cancer by killing cancer cells. Alpha and Beta particles are the radioactive particles used to kill cancer cells through radioactive decay. Radioisotopes discussed in this paper are Iodine-131, Samarium-153, and Radium-223. The body organs targeted by the three radioisotopes, and the types of cancers they treat will also be discussed in detail.

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How Radioactive Decay Kills Cancer Cells

Radiation therapy in cancer treatment utilizes the highly charged particles in radioisotopes to kill cancer cells. They concentrate the high energy on tumors, and in the process shrinking them and the cancer cells. Radiation therapy can either be applied externally by concentrating a beam of high energy on the cancer cells, or internally by placing a radioactive material near the cancer cells. Radiation therapy utilizes the beta and alpha particles that emit energy that kill cancer cells (Kotagiri, 20’8). Alpha particles are capable of generating a very high amount of energy in a short path length. The total energy produced is substantial enough in that only a small number (1-10) of alpha particles results in fatal cell damage. The short length of the path destroys cells that are nearer to the alpha particle that protects other healthy, vibrant, and normal cells.

The alpha particle is delivered in or straight next to the cancerous cells because of the short path length property they exhibit. Beta particles emitting a lower energy can travel longer distances, thus requiring more particles to cause fatal cellular damage. A liquid form of radioactive treatment is administered internally through injection to treat cancer cells with little damage to the normal healthy tissues. Radiation therapy destroys cancerous cells by wrecking their DNA and slowing their growth (Deng, 2016). Cancerous cells whose DNA is affected, either fail to divide or end up dying after the repair. When the impaired cells die, the body breaks them down and released from the body. Radiation therapy does not necessarily kill cancer cells instantly since they usually die after the procedure. The treatment process takes weeks or months before DNA becomes sufficiently impaired to kill cancerous cells. After radiation treatment has ended, cancerous cells continue to die for weeks or months, thereby alleviating the pain a patient has felt.

Iodine-131

Radioactive iodine therapy is a form of internal chemotherapy and radiation which uses a radioactive type of iodine, iodine 131 (I-131 Iodine-131 flows in a patient’s blood to affected regions. Thyroid cancerous cells collect the iodine whenever they are in one’s body. The iodine radioactivity then destroys the cancerous cells. It is primarily picked up by thyroid cells, and has minimal impact on other healthy cells. It becomes poisonous to cells that absorb iodine from the blood by allowing the iodine radioactive, which in turn kills these cells (Deng, 2016). The therapy is only appropriate for some kinds of thyroid cancer. Iodine-131 is used to treat papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer. The thyroid gland usually needs iodine to generate the thyroid hormones. Iodine-131 releases beta radiation, splitting cancer cells apart. Usually administered as a tablet, thyroid cells take up the Iodine-131, since they are capable of accumulating iodine. The radiation generated destroys any cancerous cells that may be available, or significantly lowers the activity of the thyroid to acceptable levels.

Samarium 153

Samarium-153 (153Sm) is a manmade radionuclide which produces beta particles of 0.81 MeV (20%), 0.64 MeV (50%), and 0.71 MeV (30%), and 103 keV (28%) gamma photons. A radioactive particle used to combat bone cancer and other bone-spreading tumors. Samarium 153 is a type of samarium material that is radioactive. It gathers in the bone, where radiation is emitted that can kill cancerous cells. It is a reactor that produces high concentrations of radionuclides by bombarding enriched 152Sm oxide with neutrons (Janiak, 2017). Samarium-153 is a β –emitter with a short half-life (46.7 h), which also generates 103 keV gamma-photons which are appropriate for image analysis. The isotope is coagulated to tetramethylene phosphonate ethylene diamine (EDTMP), which targets the bone tissue as a polyphosphonate. The medical dosages are administered to patients through the kidney. Samarium 153 is used to treat prostate cancer and other bone cancers.

Radium-223

Radium 223 dichloride is a moderate radioactive type of metal radium which is used for the treatment of prostate cancer and other bone cancers. It is constituted of the alpha-emitting isotope radium Ra 223 dichloride salt, with pharmacological activities. Unlike calcium, radium targets the bone cancerous cells and piles up selectively in osteogenic tumors and those found in bone metastasis regions (Verma, 2017). Radium Ra 223 forms hydroxyapatite compounds, and is integrated into the surface of the bone. Ra 223 radioisotope destroys cancerous bone cells through localized release of alpha particles. It triggers disintegration of double-strand DNA and relapse of cancerous cells in the skeleton. The close-range impacts of alpha emission enables for concentrated DNA damage with constrained toxic effects to surrounding healthy bone tissue. Radium attacks the cancerous bone cells since bone cells consume it. The cancerous cells in the bone absorb radium 223, and it then generates radiation which moves a very short distance (Chandy, 2018). This implies the cancerous cells undergo a high radiation exposure which kill them. Radium 223 is provided as a vein-injection. This is usually done through a cannula that is placed in a vein in a patient’s hand each moment he or she is treated.

Conclusion

Conclusively, radiation therapy is used to manage cancerous cells and minimize cancer effects on cancer patients. Radiation therapy, used to kill cancer cells, can eradicate cancerous cells, deter them from recurring, or halt or delay their growth. Radioisotope applications in treatment are relatively few, but still significant nonetheless. Cancer cell growths are susceptible to radiation damage. For this justification, it is possible to control or eliminate some cancerous cells growths by irradiating the growth-containing area.

References

Chandy, S. M., Kelkar, G. S., Bodana, P., & Gupta, R. A. (2018). Diagnostic and Therapeutic Use of Radioisotopes for Bone Disease in Prostate Cancer: Current Practice. International Journal of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, 9(2).

Deng, L., Liang, H., Fu, S., Weichselbaum, R. R., & Fu, Y. X. (2016). From DNA damage to nucleic acid sensing: a strategy to enhance radiation therapy. Clinical Cancer Research, 22(1), 20-25.

Janiak, M. K., Wincenciak, M., Cheda, A., Nowosielska, E. M., & Calabrese, E. J. (2017). Cancer immunotherapy: how low-level ionizing radiation can play a key role. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, 66(7), 819-832.

Kotagiri, N., Cooper, M. L., Rettig, M., Egbulefu, C., Prior, J., Cui, G., ... & Marsala, L. (2018). Radionuclides transform chemotherapeutics into phototherapeutics for precise treatment of disseminated cancer. Nature communications, 9(1), 1-12.

Tagde, P., Chandel, P., Rajak, P., & Yadav, K. (2018). Role of Radiolabeled Nanocarriers in the Treatment of Cancer. International Journal of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, 9(2).

Verma, R., & Dwivedi, S. (2017). Radioisotopes in the treatment of Cancer: An Overview. International Journal of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, 8(5).