Advantages And Disadvantages Of Radiopharmaceuticals

Isotopes are atoms that contain the same number of protons but have different numbers of neutrons (What is Isotope). These isotopes contain similar chemical properties but have different physical properties due to their atomic mass. Or in other words, isotopes have the same atomic number but differ in mass (What is an Isotope). “There are 90 naturally occurring elements with roughly 250 stable isotopes, and over 3200 unstable or radioactive isotopes” (Why are Isotopes Important). A stable isotope is an isotope that has a stable nucleus and does not give out radiation while an unstable isotope or also known as a radioactive isotope is an isotope that contains an unstable nucleus and gives out radiation (Isotope Stability). These isotopes have their own properties where each are different and are used differently in many scientific applications such as, detectors that help to prevent nuclear

In addition, these radiopharmaceuticals are very effective drugs that can help patients who suffer from bone cancer to feel less pain and for some cases even completely kill the cancer cells making the patient cancer free (Radiopharmaceuticals). Conversely, there are also disadvantages to these drugs. One disadvantage of this kind of treatment using radiopharmaceuticals is that they are very expensive. Each dose of this drug costs between $100-$200 and so the treatment of radiopharmaceuticals is usually only available for someone who is able to afford it. (The Cost of Bringing a Radiopharmaceutical to the Patient’s Bedside). In addition to the cost, these isotopes take a long of time to produce, therefore it is very unlikely for scientists to often use these isotopes to treat many patients or diseases because it is very limited. (The Cost of Bringing a Radiopharmaceutical to the Patient’s