Program Information
New Methodology for Binding Iodine-125 Onto Silver for Brachytherapy Sources Manufacture
C Daruich de Souza1*, M Chuery Martins Rostelato1 , R Mansini Cardoso2 , K Araki2 , J Moura1 , (1) Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, (2) University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
Presentations
SU-I-GPD-T-8 (Sunday, July 30, 2017) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose: Cancer is a major health care problem in Brazil and the world. The Brazil’s National Institute for Cancer estimates around 60,000 new prostate cancer cases for 2017. We are assembling a laboratory for production of iodine-125 sources used in prostate brachytherapy in Brazil, since the imported treatment is extremely expensive, thus only available in the private healthcare sector. There are several challenges when developing a laboratory to produce radioactive sources. From choosing a prototype to radiation safety, the task is enormous. The whole production line is full of new process and innovations. Among those, a new chemical reaction that deposit iodine-125 onto silver (core) was developed. This paper presents a new reaction for binding iodine-125 into a silver core. The fixation percentage was calculated by measuring the activity in an ionization chamber. This methodology will be implemented at the iodine-125 sources manufacture laboratory.
Methods: silver cores are washed with an etching solution (100% sulfuric acid) for 5 minutes with sonication. The cores were then placed in sodium sulfate for at least 3 days. They went from a silver matte to a black color. The reaction was allowed to proceed overnight. Each core was individually measured.
Results: The yield was 69.2% ± 7.1%. Considering the silver attenuation is around 20% the results were consider satisfactory
Conclusion: By maximize the reaction yield, we will be able to generate a less costly product that will be available through our public healthcare.
Contact Email: