What is a branch of medicine that is concerned with the use of radioactive substances for diagnosis treatment and research?

radiology, branch of medicine using radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Radiology originally involved the use of X-rays in the diagnosis of disease and the use of X-rays, gamma rays, and other forms of ionizing radiation in the treatment of disease.

What medicine uses radiation?

A common example of nuclear medicine therapy is the use of radioactive iodine to treat thyroid problems, including thyroid cancer. A subspecialty of oncology (the study and treatment of cancer) is radiation oncology. As the name suggests, this area of oncology focuses on the use of radiation to treat cancer.

What is a radioactive doctor?

Nuclear medicine radiologists, also called nuclear radiologists, are physicians who use radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose and treat disease. They employ such techniques as scintigraphy, which uses radiopharmaceuticals to produce images of the body’s organs or to visualize certain diseases.

What branch of science is radiology?

Radiology is a branch of medicine that uses imaging technology to diagnose and treat disease. Radiology may be divided into two different areas, diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology. Doctors who specialize in radiology are called radiologists.

What is radiography nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty of radiology which involves the use of radioactive medication (radiopharmaceuticals) to diagnose and treat disease. These radioactive materials are usually injected into a vein, but are sometimes swallowed or inhaled.

What are 3 medical uses of radiation?

Radioactive iodine is used in imaging the thyroid gland. For therapy, radioactive materials are used to kill cancerous tissue, shrink a tumor or reduce pain. There are three main types of therapy in nuclear medicine.

What careers are in nuclear medicine?

Nuclear medicine technologists work with doctors, medical physicists, nuclear pharmacists, computer specialists, nurses, and administrative staff. Common tasks and duties of the role include: Preparing and administering radioactive drugs. Capturing images that a physician will use to diagnose an infection or disorder.

Is radiography a medical science?

Medical Radiography and Radiological Sciences, which involve the use of ionizing radiation (including x-rays) and other forms of radiation energy in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of human diseases, is an indispensable arm of modern medical sciences and the pivot of modern diagnostic medicine.

Is radiographer a doctor?

Unlike a radiologist, a radiographer is not a medical doctor. Instead, radiographers must complete a specialist focused training program which on average takes 3-4 years to complete.

Is Radiation Oncology the same as radiation therapy?

Radiation oncologists may use radiation to cure cancer, to control the growth of the cancer or to relieve symptoms, such as pain. Radiation therapy works by damaging cells. Normal cells are able to repair themselves, whereas cancer cells cannot.

How do I become a radiation therapist?

After high school, enroll in an undergraduate degree program in radiation therapy or a closely related major. The minimum requirement to become a certified, registered radiation therapist is an associate degree; however many radiation therapy professionals pursue a four-year undergraduate degree.

Is radiation oncology nuclear medicine?

Radiation Oncology, also known as Radiation Therapy, is different from Nuclear Medicine. Radiation Oncologists study the use of sealed sources of radiation to treat a wide range of cancers as well as a few non-cancerous conditions. Sealed sources may be in the form of seeds and wires that may be implanted in the body.

Is Radiation Therapy nuclear medicine?

What do we need to know about radiation in medical practice?

Its use within medical practice thus involves an informed judgment regarding the risk/benefit ratio. This judgment requires not only medical knowledge, but also an understanding of radiation itself. This work provides a global perspective on radiation risks, exposure and mitigation strategies.

How is radiation used in radiopharmaceutical imaging?

The radiation that comes from the radiopharmaceutical is used for treatment or is detected by a camera to take pictures of the corresponding body organ, region or tissue. What happens during a nuclear medicine imaging procedure?

How has the use of radiation in medicine evolved?

The use of radiation in medicine is now pervasive and routine. From their crude beginnings 100 years ago, diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy have all evolved into advanced techniques, and are regarded as essential tools across all branches and specialties of medicine.

What is radiation in physics?

Introduction Radiation is a form of energy which travels from a source as waves or as energized particles. At the lower end of the radiation spectrum we find radio waves and microwaves, which are generally considered harmless (Figure 1). Sunlight consists of radiation from long wavelength infrared to short wavelength ultraviolet.