Jakarta - Radioisotope and radiopharmaceutical nuclear technology is present as an innovative medical solution to support more effective cancer treatment in helping early detection of cancer which is the key to the chances of successful therapy.
"Nuclear technology is the application of science and engineering related to the use of energy or materials from nuclear reactions. One of its applications in the health sector is the use of radiopharmaceuticals to detect, diagnose, and treat diseases, especially cancer," said the Chairperson of the Indonesian Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Theranostics Association (PKN-TMI), dr. Yustia Tuti, SpKNTM, Subsp.(K)Onk, FANMB through a press statement received on Friday.
Doctor Yustia explained that radiopharmaceuticals are chemical compounds with radioactive atomic nuclei that are used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in advanced technologies such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT).
One of the most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals in PET Scans is F18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), a glucose analogue containing the radioactive isotope Fluorine-18.