Gold-198
The last ailment we shall discuss in this section is the accumulation of large quantities of excess fluid in the chest and abdominal cavities from their linings, as a consequence of the growth of certain types of malignant tumors.
Frequent surgical drainage was at one time the only very useful treatment, and of course this was both uncomfortable and dangerous. The use of radioactive colloidal suspensions, primarily colloidal gold-198, has been quite successful in palliative treatment: It does not cure, but it does give marked relief.
Radioactive colloids (a colloid is a suspension of one very finely divided substance in some other medium) can be introduced into the abdominal cavity, where they may remain suspended or settle out upon the lining. In either case, since they are not dissolved, they do not pass through the membranes or cell walls but remain within the cavity. Through its destructive and retarding effect on the cancer cells the radiation inhibits the oozing of fluids.
Gold-198 offers several advantages in such cases. It has a short half-life (2.7 days); it is chemically inert and therefore nontoxic; and it emits beta and gamma radiation that is almost entirely absorbed by the tissues in its immediate neighborhood.
The results have been very encouraging. There is admittedly no evidence of any cures, or even lengthening of life, but there has been marked reduction of discomfort and control of the oozing in over two-thirds of the cases treated.