[SinkingTako]

This question has been bugging me for a while now. When some form of radiotherapy is conducted, how are the chemicals stored and delivered to the hospitals? Especially for some compounds that only have a half life of 2 days or so, does it take such a short time to be delievered from the plant to the hospital and then to the patient?

And also are there any ways of increasing half life of radioactive isotopes? I only found something about increasing voltage and temperature...

Thank you all so much! Tried googling but Google didn't display satisfying answers.

[Borek]

does it take such a short time to be delievered from the plant to the hospital and then to the patient?

Yes,they have to be delivered pretty fast.

And also are there any ways of increasing half life of radioactive isotopes?

No. Generally speaking there is no way to change half life of an isotope.

I only found something about increasing voltage and temperature...

No idea what you can be talking about. Unless you refer to very high temperatures (order of magnitude comparable with these required for fusion).

[SinkingTako]

No idea what you can be talking about. Unless you refer to very high temperatures (order of magnitude comparable with these required for fusion).

I found something here:
http://www.gdr.org/nuclear_half.htm
Although now I think it's probably a hoax or something.

Hmm quite interesting that they can deliver these drugs so quickly especially to international locations.

[Borek]

I found something here:

Blah, blah, blah

[curiouscat]

In at least one therapy they provide a column filled with a longer life radioisotope that is transported to the hospital and then a technician elutes spiked saline solution which then produces the short life isotope of interest. I forget the details but I believe this was for Technitium. 

[curiouscat]

Technetium-99m has a 6 hour half life, so it is obtained from decaying molybdenum-99 filled in  a column. Moly-99 has a 66 hr half life. So easier to transport.

[Arkcon]

I found something here:
http://www.gdr.org/nuclear_half.htm
Although now I think it's probably a hoax or something.

Trim that url to see the top page.  You'll really see what this topic is about.

http://www.gdr.org

I thought people had figured out by now that sort of visual style detracts from credibility.

[SinkingTako]

@Curiouscat How does the Tc99 elude? Is it because it is soluble in saline, while the original Moly99 is not? (are they both in the metal form or as a salt?) I found some instruction manual but they didn't explain the process. Thank you!

@Arkcon Yeah initially I just skimmed the title but after reading it and going to the main site I realised it was not credible. Sorry about that.

[curiouscat]

@Curiouscat How does the Tc99 elude? Is it because it is soluble in saline, while the original Moly99 is not? (are they both in the metal form or as a salt?) I found some instruction manual but they didn't explain the process. Thank you!

"Most commercial 99Mo/99mTc generators use column chromatography, in which 99Mo in the form of molybdate, MoO42- is adsorbed onto acid alumina (Al2O3). When the Mo-99 decays it forms pertechnetate TcO4-, which, because of its single charge, is less tightly bound to the alumina. Pouring normal saline solution through the column of immobilized 99Mo elutes the soluble 99mTc, resulting in a saline solution containing the 99mTc as the pertechnetate, with sodium as the counterbalancing cation."

Thank Wikipedia.