Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is a medical speciality involving the application of

radioactive substances

, in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Radioactive substances emit energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. They act as tracers for diagnosis, and in treatment to kill

cancerous cells

. Usually, small amounts of radioactive materials or

radiopharmaceuticals

are used, substances that are attracted to specific organs, bones or tissues. Treatment with nuclear medicine is based on the destructive power of radiation, which is used to remove unwanted, especially cancerous, tissues. The radiation used travels only a short distance, thereby minimising unwanted side-effects and damage to non-involved organs or nearby structures.