The use of radioactive elements in medicine

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Radioactive Elements in Medicine
Everything that exists on the planet earth is made up of a tiny element scientifically referred to as an atom (Grupen and Rodgers 8). The chemical variant of the atoms, called isotopes, can either be radioactive or stable. Radioactive isotopes can emit radioactive energy, a property of matter called radioactivity (Grupen and Rodgers 8). Radioisotopes, to denote the radioactive isotopes, are traceable with the appropriate technology, making them useful in various aspects of human living. The ability of radioactive elements to occur naturally and artificially also makes them abundantly available for meaningful application. Medicine is one area where radioactivity has been widely applied over the past, even leading to the emergence of a branch in medicine called nuclear medicine. The elements play a role in diagnosis, therapy, and sterilization. Exposure to radioactive isotopes has a biological effect, posing a threat due to its extensive use in medicine.
One application of radioactivity in medicine is during the diagnosis process. Diagnosis is a medical process used to identify and detect an infection, the cause, and the probable cure (Bakator and Radosav 11). The property of radioactive elements to be detected using a radioactive element called the radioactive tracer makes it possible to detect cancerous cells' spread and concentration (Chemistry LibreTexts par.1). The most commonly used radioactive tracers include sodium, iodine, thallium, and technetium (Chemistry LibreTexts par.1). Each of the above chemical elements is suitable for diagnosing infections on specific organs, thus the prevalence of a wide range of radioactive tracers. Unlike any other means of diagnosis, such as the use of x-ray, radioactive diagnosis detects and shows the extent to which the infection or the tumor has affected the specified organ, making it a suitable diagnosis technique for deadly diseases like cancer.
Radiotherapy is a very common term today, especially concerning cancer treatment. The term is used to refer to a medical procedure that makes use of radioactive elements for the treatment of cancer and other non-recurrent infections (Cherry and Duxbury 1). Radiotherapy can take two forms: external beam radiography or internal radiography to represent what is administered from outside the body and within the body (Cherry and Duxbury 1). Internal radiotherapy is achieved by either letting the patient consume a radioactive dose or placing the radioactive element into the body tissues through a process known as brachytherapy (Cherry and Duxbury 1). External radiotherapy is mostly applicable for non-recurrent infections such as tumors, whereas internal radiotherapy is mostly applied for palliative purposes (World Nuclear Association par. 14-16). Radiotherapy is a rapidly evolving science, and researchers in nuclear medicine are still exploring new ways to enhance the efficacy of the techniques, including developing new instruments with maximum precisions to improve the process and avoid damage of normal cells during radiotherapy sessions (Chen and Kuo par.1). Nevertheless, radiotherapy has proven a useful medical procedure. Over 30000 patients are being treated worldwide every year (World Nuclear Association par. 13), a population that is more than half of the cancer patients registered annually.
The scarcity and the option to reuse medical equipm...