Nuclear medicine isotope shortage will lead to cancer deaths

Lives are lost when there is a lack of specialized medical care to detect diseases such as breast and colorectal cancer.

This is a stark warning from experts who say tests to diagnose cancer are being delayed due to a lack of medical radioisotopes available in the UK.

It also led to new calls for the UK to develop its own manufacturing facilities for nuclear medicines, rather than relying on imports.

It follows proposals to build a new £400m medical laboratory on the site of a former nuclear power station in north Wales.

The project, dubbed Project Arthur, will see a small nuclear reactor installed at Trousfnydd in Gwynedd to produce radioactive material.

This nuclear medicine is used to detect cancer tumors in patients and track the progression of the disease.

But after a nuclear reactor in the Netherlands was forced to halt production for the rest of last month, there was no fresh supplies available to ship to the UK.

Professor Simon Middleberg, from Bangor University’s Institute for Nuclear Futures, said: “For every month that goes undiagnosed or goes undiagnosed, the chance of dying from cancer increases by 10%.”

“People are actually dying from this right now.

“These people are not diagnosed, their cancer is not detected early, the cancer spreads and people die.

“This time it’s going to be in the hundreds, if not thousands, due to the isotope shortage just this month.”

Professor Middleburg said that was why he had supported the Arthur Plan case, which was originally announced by the Welsh Government in January 2023.

A feasibility study was commissioned into the project and a business case has since been submitted to the UK Government seeking cash to approve plans to supply the whole of the UK with the necessary nuclear isotopes.

“The business case exists. It’s not new technology, it’s old technology. We can buy it off the shelf,” Professor Middleberg said.

“This isn’t just a Wales story, it’s a UK-wide story. We’re all ready. Now is the time to press the green button and get on with it.”

When injected or swallowed and absorbed by cancer from the body, radioactive isotopes can be used to diagnose cancer and treat certain types of diseases, such as those of the prostate and liver.

Using these is already a very common way of treating and diagnosing people in the NHS.

Typically, people receive nuclear medicine into their bodies and are radiated.

For example, gamma rays are a type of radiation. When it leaves your body, it is detected and its size and location are displayed on the scanner.

However, it should not be confused with external radiation therapy, which delivers radiation to the tumor from outside the body.

Even if approved now, it is estimated that it will take until around 2030 for the facility to become operational.

Meanwhile, the UK government’s Department of Health and Social Care said it was working to address the current shortage of nuclear isotopes.

A UK government official said: “We understand this may be a concern for patients and we are working closely with the companies involved to resolve the issue.”

“We are also working closely with NHS England and the devolved governments to distribute available stock and prioritize patients with severe needs.”

The Welsh Government insisted its proposal for Trousfynnydd was still delayed and said it was working with all partners to develop and advance the plan.

“We will update you on the progress soon.”

But Plaid Cymru MP for the region Liz Saville-Roberts said action needed to be taken sooner rather than later to avoid a repeat of the current isotope shortage.

“The Welsh Government needs to push this business case as strongly as possible. They need to pay for it and they need to work with Bangor University who will help with this. And the UK Government needs to: Yes, you have to realize that this costs money, but think about the cost of not doing it.”

“We talk about the cost of life.”