RADIOISOTOPES

We verified whether the use capacity of nuclides possessed by the Designated Cancer Care Hospitals that provide nuclear medicine therapy is sufficient for the number of patients who may be eligible for nuclear medicine therapy. Regarding to ¹⁷⁷Lu, relevant hospitals may have the capacity to handle it to some extent, although it is insufficient in the future, whereas it is difficult to introduce ²²⁵Ac into the current equipment and facilities installed in those hospitals. In addition, we verified whether the distribution of hospitals providing nuclear medicine therapy nationwide is in a state of uniform accessibility. Although there seems to be no problem in terms of conversion per 100,000 population, there are concerns about the burden on hospitals that play a central role in nuclear medicine therapy in rural areas that contribute to uniform accessibility in response to the spread of nuclear medicine therapy that is expected in the future, and it is necessary to take measures to improve the capacity of hospitals as soon as possible.