Health benefits

Canada's nuclear medicine industry treats cancer

The Canadian nuclear industry pioneered the use of Cobalt-60 for the treatment of cancer using radiation, beginning in 1951. Today there are about 1,200 Cobalt-60 machines around the world, delivering about 15 million cancer treatments every year. These machines save or extend lives, providing an effective tool in the fight against cancer.

About 1 million nuclear medicine procedures are performed in Canada annually.

Nuclear medicine is also an important tool in diagnosing disease

For many years, Canada has supplied more than half of the world's nuclear reactor-produced radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. These are used in about 12 million diagnostic tests each year. The radioisotopes used in these tests give doctors important information that helps with the early diagnosis and treatment of disease, often preventing the need for surgery. This also helps to lower medical costs.