Isotope examinations and radionuclide therapies

In nuclear medicine, we examine metabolic and molecular changes in the body that can provide early information on infections, heart function, degenerative brain diseases, and cancer's stage and response to cancer treatment, for example.

Many diseases can be detected in isotope examinations before the structural changes caused by the disease appear when using other imaging methods. 

In isotope examinations, a small amount of a radiopharmaceutical is administered to the patient’s body. The patient is then scanned with a gamma camera or a PET scanner. The equipment available is capable of detecting even very small amounts of radiation. 

Radionuclide therapies 

Radionuclide therapies are used especially to treat cancers, but also to treat, for example, hyperthyroidism. Radionuclide therapies utilize radioactive drugs, and therapies are used in close connection with imaging utilizing certain special techniques (such as PET-CT and SPECT-CT).  

The effect of radionuclide therapies is based on the fact that the radioactive substance finds it way to the cancer cell and destroys the cell with radiation which is very localized.