www.neuroendocrinecancer.org.uk
Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive materials, known as tracers, to diagnose or treat disease. Doctors use nuclear medicine tests to diagnose, evaluate, and treat a variety of conditions, including neuroendocrine cancer. Nuclear medicine has been used to treat cancer for many years, and radioligand therapy, in one form or another, has been safely used to treat some neuroendocrine tumours since the 1990s.
What is a radioligand?
Radioligands consist of two key parts that are joined together by a chemical or ‘linker’: A targeting molecule or ‘ligand’: This attaches to cells that have specific target proteins (receptors), attracting the radioisotope to the target cell. This allows the radioligand to target cells with receptors anywhere in the body. A radioactive isotope: This is a radioactive molecule that releases radiation to target cells, with the aim of destroying them.
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