Medical Importance of Petten
Apart from its function as a research centre, Petten is also a large producer of radioactive material for the purpose of medical diagnosis and the treatment of cancer (Radiopharmaceuticals). The nuclear facilities at Petten supply 60% of the European demand for medical isotopes. Also at the high flux reactor, one of the neutron beam channels, which was originally installed for performing fundamental research, has been specially modified for the direct irradiation of patients. This allows use of neutrons for the treatment of tumors after saturation of these tumors with a pharmaceutical containing boron. When hit by a weak neutron beam, boron will locally emit radiation that will destroy the tumor. This technique is mainly suitable for the treatment of brain tumors.
Read more about this topic: Petten Nuclear Reactor
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