radiopharmaceutical
Meaning of radiopharmaceutical: A radiopharmaceutical is a medication containing a radioactive component, used to produce diagnostic images or deliver targeted radiation treatment.
Definition of radiopharmaceutical
A radiopharmaceutical is a medication that contains a radioactive substance, called a radioisotope, combined with a compound designed to carry it to a specific tissue or organ in the body.
When used for diagnosis, a radiopharmaceutical is given in a small amount and its radioactive emissions are detected by specialized imaging equipment, producing images that show how the body processes the compound, which can reveal how an organ is functioning or where abnormal tissue, including certain tumors, is located. When used for treatment, a radiopharmaceutical delivers radiation directly to targeted tissue from within the body rather than from an external source.
Because a radiopharmaceutical combines a radioactive component with a carrier chosen for a specific purpose, its behavior in the body depends on both parts, and different radiopharmaceuticals are designed to concentrate in different organs or tissue types depending on the compound used to carry the radioisotope.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
A radiopharmaceutical was administered before the nuclear medicine scan to evaluate bone metabolism.
Good to know
A radiopharmaceutical used for imaging is generally given in a much smaller radioactive amount than one used for treatment, reflecting the different purpose of detecting tissue rather than delivering a therapeutic radiation dose.
Word origin
Where “radiopharmaceutical” comes from
Formed from Latin radius, meaning ray, and Greek pharmakon, meaning drug.