Menstuff® has compiled the following information on Medical
Isotopes.
Protect Production of Medical Isotopes for
Cancer Treatment
Q&A
A New Treatment for
Prostate Cancer
Protect Production of Medical Isotopes for
Cancer Treatment
In Europe, physicians are being discouraged from prescribing chemotherapy. Targeted treatments, even for metastasized cancer, pair biological carriers like antibodies or peptides = protein segments, with medical isotopes. When these "smart bullets" latch onto cancer cells, radiation starts working. The main reported complication is "boredom", as fatal cancers disappear for many patients. Studies for prostate and breast cancer metastasized to bone and prostate and other cancers metastasized to other organs are ongoing with promising results in Europe. "I can treat any patient I wish", G. Paganelli, Director, European Institute of Oncology.
What about in this country? In the United States, a bone cancer
study was cancelled due to a shortage of isotopes to treat less than
100 patients. We lack the quantity, quality and variety of medical
isotopes for even small numbers of study patients. The best treatment
isotopes are made in nuclear research reactors, not power reactors,
not accelerators. Despite numerous entreaties, the Department of
Energy will not recognize cancer patients' needs. This is politics at
its worst. The Department of Energy is working "fast track" to
destroy the best isotope production reactor in the world. Now on
standby, the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford, WA
(http://www.fftf.org)is unique in its ability to produce the quality,
quantity, and variety of isotopes that physicians "in the know" have
asked for their patients. When it was running, about 60 different
isotopes were made in FFTF (www.fftf.org/isotope/
).
Please FAX (best) or email President Bush, Vice President Cheney, DOE Secretary Abraham, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, along with your Senators and Congressional Representatives, to ask them to stop dismantling the FFTF produce the isotopes that cancer patients need. Cancer does not wait. The lives we save may be our own. Or our child's. Males as young as fifteen years old have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Girls as young as thirteen years old have had double mastectomies for breast cancer. There is a better way.
To find the FAX number and e-mail (along with a draft letter) go
to: 63.66.87.48/entry.cfm?orgcode=USTOO
FAX Numbers:
Dept of Energy Secretary Abraham: 202-586-6210
Dept of HHS Secretary Thompson: 202-690-7203
President Bush: 202-456-2461
VP Cheney: 202-456-6212
Source: To find the FAX number and e-mail (along
with a draft letter) go to: 63.66.87.48/entry.cfm?orgcode=USTOO
Resources: www.medicalisotopes.org,
www.chornobyl.org/exchange/medical.htm
What cancers and conditions are they currently addressing with research and/or clinical trials?
A medical isotope is a very small quantity of radioactive substance used in safe, cost-effective imaging and treatment of disease. New technologies enable medical isotopes to be delivered directly to the site of diseased cells. This is different from external beam radiation treatment where radiation is directed from outside of the body.
The medical specialty that utilizes medical isotopes for diagnosis and treatment is called nuclear medicine. The doctors that perform nuclear medicine procedures for cancer are called radiation oncologists.
What can medical isotopes do in diagnosis?
Radioisotopes give off energy that can be detected by special equipment. When small quantities are introduced into the body, the imaging equipment tracks their location and movement. This enables the doctors to learn more about the diseased tissues than a diagnostic procedure that just takes a picture from the outside. Medical isotope diagnostic procedures often facilitate an earlier and more complete disease diagnosis and therefore more rapid and effective treatment.
What can medical isotopes do in cancer treatment?
The energy given off by radioisotopes is very effective at zapping diseased cells. When they are delivered straight to the cancer cells, healthy tissues are spared while cancer cells are eliminated. Medical isotopes are delivered to the cancer cells in several different ways.
What different types of medical isotope treatments are there?
Brachytherapy is a form of cancer treatment where tiny "seeds" containing medical isotopes are accurately placed within and near a tumor. Brachytherapy is FDA approved and used for localized prostate cancer, liver cancer, head and neck cancers, gynecological cancers and others.
Radioimmunotherapy is a type of treatment where doctors inject antibodies that have isotopes attached like little backpacks. The antibodies (called monoclonal antibodies) then flow through the bloodstream and attach themselves to the cancerous cells. The energy from the medical isotopes is thus targeted straight to the cancer. This type of treatment is showing great promise for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Most Radioimmunotherapy treatments are still in clinical trials.
Medical isotopes can also be directed to cancerous cells by a carrier that has an attraction to a certain part of the body. Chemical phosphonates can be paired with medical isotopes and sent to the bone, since phosphonate is a natural building block of bone matrix. FDA approved treatments for pain associated with cancer that has spread to the bone are based on this delivery system. The medical isotope Iodine has been used for thyroid treatment for years because the isotope itself is naturally attracted to the thyroid.
Where are medical isotopes made?
Medical isotopes are made in either accelerators or nuclear reactors. Today, the United States imports about 90% of the medical isotopes used in hospitals and clinics. Our supply of medical isotopes is at risk to global conditions and the internal conditions of other countries.
Do we have sufficient supplies of medical isotopes to meet growing demands?
No. A few key isotopes with the potential to take cancer therapy to a new level of effectiveness are simply not available. The researchers who want to explore their potential are unable to do so. In addition, the success of treatments currently in clinical trials and awaiting FDA approval could usher in a serious supply problem once FDA approval is obtained. The end result could be patients unable to be treated with an effective therapy.
Demand for medical isotopes are projected to grow in the range of 8% to 20% per year for the next 20 years. Current U.S. production resources are not adequate to meet the increasing needs for use of the isotopes in research, diagnosis, and treatment.
Is there a potential U.S. source for medical isotopes?
Yes. The U.S. Department of Energy is currently considering a nuclear reactor for production of the quantity of medical isotopes that will be needed in coming years. The FFTF (Fast Flux Test Facility) is the largest test and research reactor in the U.S. and is currently on standby. It can produce enough medical isotopes to effectively meet the need.
Is our country going to utilize this source of medical isotopes?
We don't know yet. Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham is currently reviewing the FFTF situation and is expected to make a decision soon. If approved, the decision-makers in Washington, D.C. will determine its fate. Whether the final decision is based on a good understanding of the need for medical isotopes remains to be seen. If it is not commissioned to produce medical isotopes, the FFTF will be shut down completely, never available to serve its country again.
Is there anything I can do to support medical isotope research and treatments?
Yes. Let your voice be heard. Tell your Congressmen and the Department of Energy that you support all efforts at furthering medical isotope research. Write, call, or email to let them know you support production facilities such as the FFTF as well as increased funding for research. Secondly, join Citizens for Medical Isotopes. Your support will help us reach more cancer patients and their families. It will further our efforts to help researchers develop better ways to fight cancer and other diseases.
What if somebody I know has cancer?
Contact our office. (www.medicalisotopes.org/faq
)
We can provide information that may help your friend or family member
make an informed decision about treatment options or clinical trials
opportunities. We don't give medical advice and are not qualified to
do so. However, we can direct people and their doctors to resources
about medical isotope treatments.
Are there any other diseases treatable with medical isotopes?
Yes. Medical isotopes are proving very helpful in treating
cardiovascular disease. They effectively prevent re-clogging of
arteries (restenosis) when used in conjunction with angioplasty
(balloon therapy). Rheumatoid arthritis is commonly treated in Europe
with injections of medical isotopes.
Source: www.medicalisotopes.org/faq
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