Targeted Radionuclide TherapyIntroductionRadionuclide therapy is the use of ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer. The main goal of the therapy is to completely kill cancer cells or damage the DNA of tumor cells, thereby preventing these cells from developing, dividing and growing (Bolus and Brady, 2011). Radionuclide therapy can have a curative effect if the target cancer cells are localized to a specific region of the body and have not spread. It is also used as a component of adjuvant therapy, where it is used to prevent the possibility of recurrence of tumor cells that have been removed by surgery. Radiotherapy can also be combined with chemotherapy before, during or after the intervention in very sensitive cancers (Schulz-Ertner, Jakel & Schlegel, 2006). The purpose of this discussion is to give an introduction to radionuclide therapy, its types and uses, and to compare it to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. DiscussionThe most commonly used type of radiotherapy involves exposing patients to external radiation. In this method, a beam containing high-energy X-rays is directed to a specific region of the body to irradiate major tumors. However, the problem with this technique lies in its ability to affect normal tissues of adjacent organs (Noda et al., 2009). Unlike this, targeted radionuclide therapy works like chemotherapy. A radionuclide-labeled molecule is administered orally or intravenously to deliver sufficiently toxic radiation to the disease site to kill target cells (Bolus and Brady, 2011). However, the main difference with chemotherapy is that the drugs or toxins are used only... middle of paper ... the treatment's effectiveness is estimated to be between 40% and 95% in terms of pain relief. (Bolus & Brady, 2011; Lutz et al., 2011). ConclusionThe targeted radionuclide is one of the important technological developments in the field of radiotherapy. It can be used alone during exposure to external radiation and chemotherapy, although they can be used in combination if this ensures optimal results. This procedure is very advantageous over conventional methods and should be considered the procedure of choice, especially in metastatic bone tumors. Among its main applications is its use in the control of thyroid cancer, which leads to a considerable decrease in the rate of thyroid cancer and improves the lifestyle of patients. Radionuclide therapy also shows its effect in the palliative pain of bone metastases. Both applications were found to be easy to administer, safe and effective..