Radiopharmaceuticals are radioactive compounds used in nuclear medicine for diagnosis or treatment. Here are some commonly used radiopharmaceuticals, categorized based on their diagnostic or therapeutic purposes:

1. Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals

These are used to image specific organs or systems in the body using gamma cameras or positron emission tomography (PET).

  • Technetium-99m (Tc-99m): Used in imaging a wide range of organs including the heart, bones, lungs, kidneys, and thyroid.
  • Iodine-123 (I-123): Used primarily for thyroid imaging.
  • Fluorine-18 (F-18): Used in PET scans, particularly in cancer diagnosis (e.g., as part of FDG, fluorodeoxyglucose).
  • Gallium-67 (Ga-67): Used in imaging infections, inflammation, and some types of tumors.
  • Thallium-201 (Tl-201): Primarily used in myocardial perfusion imaging to assess blood flow to the heart.
  • Indium-111 (In-111): Used in white blood cell imaging and for localizing neuroendocrine tumors.
  • Xenon-133 (Xe-133): Used for lung ventilation imaging.

2. Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals

These are used to treat certain diseases by delivering targeted radiation to specific tissues.

  • Iodine-131 (I-131): Used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer.
  • Yttrium-90 (Y-90): Used in radioimmunotherapy and for treating liver cancer (Y-90 microspheres).
  • Lutetium-177 (Lu-177): Used for treating neuroendocrine tumors (e.g., Lu-177 DOTATATE therapy).
  • Radium-223 (Ra-223): Used for treating bone metastases in prostate cancer.
  • Samarium-153 (Sm-153): Used for palliative treatment of bone pain caused by metastases.
  • Phosphorus-32 (P-32): Used in treating blood disorders like polycythemia vera.

These radiopharmaceuticals work by emitting radiation that is either detected for imaging or used to destroy abnormal cells in therapeutic applications.