Evaluation of radionuclidic purity of Re-186 and Re-188 produced by irradiation of natural Rhenium

These days, the use of Rhenium 186 and 188 radionuclides in the production of various radiopharmaceuticals has grown considerably. These two radionuclides have good features such as emitting beta particles with appropriate range and energy, and gamma rays for imaging and evaluating biological distribution in cancer treatment. Regarding the energy and range of these radionuclides, Rhenium 186 with small range is suitable for treating small tumors; and Rhenium 188 with greater range is appropriate to destroy large tumors. In this study, the simultaneous production of these two radionuclides by natural rhenium irradiation for the production of a combined radiopharmaceutical, to treat tumors with various sizes has been investigated. For the purpose of this study, the irradiation of 1 mg of natural rhenium in a neutron flux of 3×1013 cm-2s-1 for 7 days was evaluated and the activity of the main products was calculated. Since the presence of impurities delivers an unwanted and excess dose to the patient, the presence and activity level of these radionuclides have also been studied. The results of the study showed that by the irradiation of natural rhenium, Rhenium 186 and 188 radionuclides can be produced simultaneously with the appropriate activity level for using the combination of both radionuclides. Also, theoretical calculations showed that the amount of produced impurities compared to the original products is negligible.