Production of AC-225 for Cancer Therapy

Radium needles that were once implanted into tumours
as a cancer treatment are now obsolete and constitute
a radioactive waste problem, as their half-life is
1600 years. The increasing application of Ac-225 for
cancer therapy indicates the potential need for its
increased production and availability. The reduction
of radium by photonuclear transmutation by bombarding
Ra-226 with high-energy photons from a medical linac
has been investigated. The irradiated needles would
then be processed to remove the Ac-225, which can
then be used for Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) of
cancer.

The research in this monograph investigates the
possibility of producing of Ac-225 in commercial
quantities, which could potentially reduce obsolete
radioactive material and displace the need for
expensive importation of Ac-225 from the USA and
Russia in the years ahead. Scaled up production of
Ac-225 could theoretically be achieved by the use of
a high current cyclotron or linac.

Autorentext

Dr Graeme Melville has a MSc in Astrophysics, PhD in NuclearPhysics and is Secretary of the Australian Institute of Physics.He received a commendation from NASA for his planetary Astronomywork.Dr Melville is 'Editor in Chief' of the international physicsjournal "Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics".He was also a professional tennis player.

Klappentext

Radium needles that were once implanted into tumoursas a cancer treatment are now obsolete and constitutea radioactive waste problem, as their half-life is1600 years. The increasing application of Ac-225 forcancer therapy indicates the potential need for itsincreased production and availability. The reductionof radium by photonuclear transmutation by bombardingRa-226 with high-energy photons from a medical linachas been investigated. The irradiated needles wouldthen be processed to remove the Ac-225, which canthen be used for 'Targeted Alpha Therapy' (TAT) ofcancer. The research in this monograph investigates thepossibility of producing of Ac-225 in commercialquantities, which could potentially reduce obsoleteradioactive material and displace the need forexpensive importation of Ac-225 from the USA andRussia in the years ahead. Scaled up production ofAc-225 could theoretically be achieved by the use ofa high current cyclotron or linac.