NUCLEAR MEDICINE VS RADIATION THERAPY |
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| Nuclear medicine treatments are
technically a form of radiation therapy. However the type of procedures
used in Nuclear medicine are different from those which people associate
with "radiation therapy". Nuclear medicine does not use the big machines
required in many radiation treatments. Nuclear medicine takes advantage
of the natural function of cells to have the tracer concentrated in certain
areas. This limits the amount of radiation effect given to other
organs and makes side effects such as nausea and fatigue uncommon.
Loss of hair which is commonly seen with cancer chemotherapy and some radiation
therapy is not seen with Nuclear medicine treatments.
Nuclear medicine determines the cause of the medical problem based on the function of the organ, tissue or bone. This is how Nuclear medicine differs from an X-ray, ultrasound or other diagnostic test that determines the presence of the disease based on the structural appearance. The amount of radiation in a Nuclear medicine procedure is comparable to that received during a diagnostic X-ray or sufficiently less. Nuclear medicine examinations offer valuable information which permit accurate and in time diagnosis of medical problems. The processes are completely painless and safe. Moreover, the basic advantage is that it is applied to children with great safety and without causing any side effects. No specific preparation is required before the nuclear procedures are performed. In Nuclear medicine, all measures are taken to minimize the radiation burden to the patient. With the use of Nuclear medicine the science of targeting cancerous cells and isolating them from healthy ones with the use of a specific protein is possible. Click NEXT for more infornation |
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