All the cancer-fighting groups are going to come together and try to convince Secretary Richardson this is a mistake. Shutting down FFTF means there will be shortages in isotopes close to getting Food and Drug Administration approval for treating non-Hodgkins lymphoma, he said. It also will mean shortages in isotopes needed to make radioactive seeds that are used to treat prostate cancer and, experimentally, breast cancer. DOE will concentrate on making isotopes for research, and if demand increases, will respond by working with private industry, DOE officials said. However, supporters of the reactor have said a potential supply of medical isotopes in large enough quantities to treat patients is needed to make research on isotope capabilities practical.
Research shows that medical isotopes can be a life-saving cancer treatment.
Now, imported isotopes are widely used in the United States to detect disease, but researchers believe they have promise in new medicines to selectively target cancer cells, killing more cancer cells and fewer healthy cells than existing cancer treatments. DOE has not looked as closely as it should for uses of the reactor to supplement the production of medical isotopes, he said. However, he pointed out the reactor had been saved before when he made a last-minute appeal in 1995 to prevent its sodium from being drained. Shutting down FFTF could win Richardson political points if he returns to New Mexico to run for office, Volpentest said. It could increase demand for isotopes produced in an accelerator there, he said.