Medical uses of radiation – Flashcards
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Radiotherapy is the
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treatment of cancer using gamma rays
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High doses of gamma radiation kills
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living cells
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To kill cancerous cells gamma radiation needs to be
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concentrated directly at them
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The issue with killing cancerous cells with gamma radiation is that
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normal cells are also killed which can make the person feel ill
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To treat cancer the gamma rays are used in a wide beam and are
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focused on the tumour while rotating around it
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This reduces the
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exposure of the gamma rays on normal cells - so it reduces the chance of harming the body
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The type of radiation used in medical tracers are
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gamma and sometimes beta
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The radioactive isotopes used in medical tracers has a
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short half life
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For the radioactive isotopes to enter the body they need to be either
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drunk, eaten, injected or ingested
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The progress of the radiation inside someone is monitored by a
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radiation detector
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The reason why gamma or beta radiation is used in medical tracers is because
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they can penetrate through skin and can be detected
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The reason why alpha radiation is never used in medical tracers is because
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they cannot penetrate through skin
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Musical instruments are sterilised by
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gamma rays because they kill all microbes
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The main advantage of using radiation instead of heat to sterilise medical instruments is because
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heat sensitive instruments (thermometers) can be sterilised without being damaged (thermometers are damaged in exposure to high heat)
