| Abstrakt: |
Needs for better nuclear data for biomedical applications are chiefly of two kinds: decay-scheme and production data for radionuclides used in nuclear medicine, and cross sections and spectral information for high-LET radiations used in radiation therapy of cancer, especially high-energy neutrons. Radiopharmaceuticals are used primarily for diagnostic and physiological function studies. Decay scheme information is important to establish the internal radiation dose received by the patient. Radionuclides for which better decay scheme data are needed are identified. Protons, alphas, pions, neutrons, and heavy nuclei such as Si-28 and A-40 are all being studied or used for radiation therapy of cancer. Of these, the most widely used is neutron radiation therapy at about 8 centers in the United States, 22 worldwide. The nuclear data needed are total and partial neutron cross sections for the elements that compose tissue and for dosimeter materials up to about 60 MeV. |
