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Iodine-131 (131 I) is the most common RNT worldwide and uses the simple compound sodium iodide with a radioactive isotope of iodine. The patient (human or animal) may ingest an oral solid or liquid amount or receive an intravenous injection of a solution of the compound. The iodide ion is selectively taken up by the thyroid gland.
Iodine-131 (131 I, I-131) is an important radioisotope of iodine discovered by Glenn Seaborg and John Livingood in 1938 at the University of California, Berkeley. [3] It has a radioactive decay half-life of about eight days. It is associated with nuclear energy, medical diagnostic and treatment procedures, and natural gas production.
Theranostics originated in the field of nuclear medicine; iodine isotope 131 for the diagnostic study and treatment of thyroid cancer was one of its earliest applications. [7] Nuclear medicine encompasses various substances, either alone or in combination, that can be used for diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy.
Often called the father of nuclear medicine, Lawrence treated a leukemia patient with radiophosphorus, which was the first time a radioactive isotope has been used to treat human patients. [4] Another pioneer in the field, Sam Seidlin, in partnership with Saul Hertz, treated a case of thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine (I-131) 1946. [5]
Another well-known radioactive isotope used in medicine is Iodine-131, which is used as a radioactive label for some radiopharmaceutical therapies or the treatment of some types of thyroid cancer. [2]
On March 24, 2011, Japanese officials announced that "radioactive iodine-131 exceeding safety limits for infants had been detected at 18 water-purification plants in Tokyo and five other prefectures". [17] Also in Japan was the Tokaimura nuclear accidents of 1997 and 1999. The 1997 accident was far less fatal than the 1999 accident.
Unlike the Wolff–Chaikoff effect, the Plummer effect does not prevent the thyroid from taking up radioactive iodine, e.g. in the case of nuclear emergencies.Therefore, "plummering" with high-dose iodine is only effective in a short time window after the release of radionuclides. [9]
The lower bowel may be treated directly with radiation (treatment of rectal or anal cancer) or be exposed by radiation therapy to other pelvic structures (prostate, bladder, female genital tract). Typical symptoms are soreness, diarrhoea, and nausea. Nutritional interventions may be able to help with diarrhoea associated with radiotherapy. [25]