Radionuclide therapy: current status and prospects for internal dosimetry in individualized therapeutic planning

The efficacy and toxicity of radionuclide therapy are believed to be directly related to the radiation doses received by target tissues; however, nuclear medicine therapy continues to be based primarily on the administration of empirical activities to patients and less frequently on the use of internal dosimetry for individual therapeutic planning. This review aimed to critically describe the techniques and clinical evidence of dosimetry as a tool for therapeutic planning and the main limitations to its implementation in clinical practice. The present article is a nonsystematic review of voxel-based dosimetry. Clinical evidence pointing to a correlation between the radiation dose and therapeutic response in various diseases, such as thyroid carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer, is reviewed. Its limitations include technical aspects related to image acquisition and processing and the lack of randomized clinical trials demonstrating the impact of dosimetry on patient therapy. A more widespread use of dosimetry in therapeutic planning involves the development of user-friendly dosimetric protocols and confirmation that dose estimation implies good efficacy and low treatment-related toxicity

Efeitos da seca na Região Nordeste do Brasil / Effects of drought in the Northeast Region of Brazil

O presente artigo faz um levantamento bibliográfico a respeito da seca no nordeste e como a região em feito para se sobressair diante das consequências resultado desse evento climático, destacando a extrema vulnerabilidade que região tem diante desse fenômeno, e os métodos que a mesma utiliza para sobreviver diante desse cenário de escassez de recursos. De início se faz um levantamento sobre o conceito de seca, quais consequências a mesma traz para aquela área que é atuante, e posteriormente é feito uma abordagem de como a população e o governo se comportam diante dessa realidade

Radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid cancer: radiologic impact of out-patient treatment with 100 to 150 mCi Iodine-131 activities

OBJETIVO: Determinar exposições decorrentes da radioiodoterapia ambulatorial do carcinoma diferenciado da tireoide (CDT) sobre os familiares dos pacientes e o meio ambiente. MÉTODOS: Administraram-se 100 a 150 mCi de (131I)NaI para tratamento ambulatorial de 20 pacientes com CDT. Monitorizaram-se com dosímetros termoluminescentes as doses de radiação recebidas por familiares (n = 27) e potenciais de dose nas residências. Também foram monitorizadas contaminação de superfície e rejeitos radioativos. RESULTADOS: Registraram-se doses < 1,0 mSv em 26 acompanhantes e 2,8 mSv em um caso, inferiores ao aceitável para exposições médicas (5,0 mSv/procedimento). Excetuando-se o quarto dos pacientes (média = 0,69 mSv), determinou-se potencial de dose nas residências < 0,25 mSv. A contaminação de superfícies (4,2 Bq.cm-2) não ultrapassou níveis de liberação, sem representar riscos mesmo em simulações do pior cenário. Os rejeitos radioativos tiveram volume de 2,5 litros e atividade estimada em 90 µCi (média = 4,5 µCi/paciente). CONCLUSÕES: Não foi constatado impacto radiológico ao meio ambiente ou aos familiares de pacientes tratados ambulatorialmente com 100 a 150 mCi de iodo-131 e acompanhados por profissionais qualificados.PURPOSE:To evaluate exposure and dosimetry to family members and environment due to outpatient radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. METHODS: Twenty patients were treated with 100-150mCi of iodine-131 on an out-patient basis. Family members dosimetry (n = 27) and potential doses inside the house were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. Surface contamination and radioactive wastes were also monitored. RESULTS: Less than 1.0 mSv doses were found in 26 co-habitants and 2.8 mSv in a single case (inferior to the acceptable value of 5.0 mSv/procedure). Potential doses in the houses were inferior to 0.25 mSv, excluding the patients bedroom (mean value = 0.69 mSv). Surface contamination (mean = 4.2 Bq.cm-2) were below clearance levels. Radioactive wastes generated had a volume of 2.5 liters and a total activity estimated in 90 µCi, with a calculated exposure close to the background radiation levels. CONCLUSIONS: No radiological impact was detected after iodine therapy with 100-150 mCi on an out-patient basis followed by experienced professionals.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Comparison of different dosimetric methods for red marrow absorbed dose calculation in thyroid cancer therapy

Several dosimetric methods have been proposed for estimating red marrow absorbed dose (RMAD) when radionuclide therapy is planned for differentiated thyroid cancer, although to date, there is no consensus as to whether dose calculation should be based on blood-activity concentration or not. Our purpose was to compare RMADs derived from methods that require collecting patients' blood samples versus those involving OLINDA/EXM software, thereby precluding this invasive procedure. This is a retrospective study that included 34 patients under treatment for metastatic thyroid disease. A deviation of 10 between RMADs was found, when comparing the doses from the most usual invasive dosimetric methods and those from OLINDA/EXM. No statistical difference between the methods was discovered, whereby the need for invasive procedures when calculating the dose is questioned. The use of OLINDA/EXM in clinical routine could possibly diminish data collection, thus giving rise to a simultaneous reduction in time and clinical costs, besides avoiding any kind of discomfort on the part of the patients involved

É necessário reduzir as atividades de radioiodo nas terapias de pacientes com câncer de tireoide e disfunção renal?

The objective of this study were to obtain dosimetric data from a patient with thyroid cancer simultaneously undergoing peritoneal dialysis therapy, so as to determine the appropriate amount of 131I activity to be applied therapeutically. Percentages of radioiodine in the blood and the whole-body were evaluated, and radiation absorbed doses were calculated according to OLINDA/EXM software. Whole-body 131I effective half-time was 45.5 hours, being four times longer than for patients without any renal dysfunction. Bone-marrow absorbed dose was 0.074 mGy/MBq, with ablative procedure maintenance at 3.7 GBq, as the reported absorbed dose was insufficiently restrictive to change the usual amount of radioiodine activity administered for ablation. It was concluded that radioiodine therapeutic-dose adjustment, based on individual patient dosimetry, is an important way of controlling therapy. It also permits the safe and potential delivery of higher doses of radiation to tumors and undesirable tissues, with a minimum of malignant effects on healthy tissues.O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar a atividade de radioiodo a ser administrada na terapia de um paciente portador de câncer de tireoide e simultaneamente tratado com diálise peritoneal. Percentuais de radioiodo em sangue e corpo-total foram avaliados após a administração de uma atividade traçadora e a dosimetria foi calculada utilizando o software OLINDA/EXM. A meia-vida efetiva do radioiodo em corpo-total foi de 45,5 horas, sendo quatro vezes maior que aquela observada em pacientes sem disfunção renal. A dose em medula óssea foi de 0,074 mGy/MBq, administrando-se uma atividade terapêutica de 3,7 GBq, uma vez que a estimativa de dose não foi suficientemente restritiva para mudar a atividade usual de radioiodo com função ablativa. Concluiu-se que a terapia individualizada de pacientes permite manter o equilíbrio entre o máximo de dose de radiação liberada em tumores ou tecidos indesejados com o mínimo de efeitos maléficos sobre tecidos sadio