Production of medical radioisotopes with an alpha particle beam

One of the purposes of investigating available medical radioisotopes and of the research of new ones is the improvement of the current diagnostic and treatment practices in cancer treatment. Scandium 43 (Sc-43) is a very interesting radioisotope for imaging, due to its physical properties which could enhance present capabilities of medical imaging and overall medical treatment of cancer patients. It is a promising candidate in PET imaging, competing with other investigated elements like galium 68 or longer lived copper 64. On the other hand, astatine 211 (At-211) is an alpha particle emitter and is investigated for its use in cancer treatment. The focus of this work was the calculation of the thick target yield for Sc-43 and At-211 produced with a linear accelerator.