Department of Radionuclide Therapy
The responsibility of the Department of Radionuclide Therapy is the treatment of various malignant and benign diseases with radioactive substances. At present, radioactive Iodine-131 (I-131) is the most used preparation in the world.Radioactive iodine is used in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis (toxic goiter) and thyroid cancer.
Radioactive Iodine -Radioactive iodine is a substance that is specifically accumulates in the tissues of the thyroid gland and destroys the tissue of this gland because of its radioactivity. Such treatment is conducted only by professionals (specialist in nuclear medicine) specialized in special condition in the department of radionuclide therapy.
Aim of the Treatment:
- Bring to a normal state the tissue of the thyroid gland, which releases a large amount of thyroid hormone in blood in patients with thyrotoxicosis (toxic goiter).
- Elimination of the remaining thyroid tissue after surgery in patients with thyroid cancer and metastases.
How treatment is carried out:
- Low-dosage drugs are taken orally in liquid form, high-dosage drugs in capsules form. Drug has no smell and taste, to take it is easy and convenient. Depending on disease, dosage is prescribed individually.
Contraindications:
- This treatment is not carried out in pregnant and lactating women patients. Patients being in the treatment may be pregnant only 9 months after treatment.
In addition, in the near future the Department plans the following treatment:
- I-131 (Iodium-131) MIBG treatment: used in pheochromocytoma, neuroendocrine tumors, carcinoid tumors and other diseases.
- Sm-153 (Samarium-153): used for to relieve pains in patients with bone metastasis.
- Y-90 (Yttrium-90) microsphere treatment: used in the treatment of primary and metastatic liver tumors.
- Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) treatment: used in treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that don’t respond to chemotherapy.
- Lu-177 (Lutetium-177) treatment: used in treatment of neuroendocrine tumors.
- Radiosynovectomy: applied in the form of intra-articular injections for treatment of arthritis resulting in hemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the synovial membranes (synovium)of joints such as hemartroz.
