Nuclear medicine is the use of radiation and imaging systems to detect disease. A nuclear medicine physician uses radioactive substances to diagnose and treat cancer and other diseases, and to research treatment for diseases. The radioactive molecules are administered to patients and then measured in the body, or samples taken from body tissue or fluids are measured. Radiation changes the body’s tissues and cells, so the tests performed after radiation is administered indicate the extent of certain diseases.
Sometimes radiation is used to kill certain cancer cells, or to reduce the pain of bone cancer. A nuclear medicine physician uses radiology to learn the effectiveness of tumor treatment, to detect cancer, diagnose infection and inflammation, or detect a blood clot in the lungs.
Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 1,760 practicing nuclear medicine doctors. Broken out by state, nuclear medicine doctor density in Alabama is 26, in Alaska is 1, in Arizona is 31, in Arkansas is 19, in California is 313, in Colorado is 18, in Connecticut is 32, in Delaware is 12, in District of Columbia is 23, in Florida is 120, in Georgia is 42, in Hawaii is 14, in Idaho is 4, in Illinois is 73, in Indiana is 34, in Iowa is 17, in Kansas is 13, in Kentucky is 18, in Louisiana is 26, in Maine is 2, in Maryland is 72, in Massachusetts is 70, in Michigan is 66, in Minnesota is 26, in Mississippi is 5, in Missouri is 47, in Montana is 2, in Nebraska is 9, in Nevada is 4, in New Hampshire is 1, in New Jersey is 63, in New Mexico is 12, in New York is 222, in North Carolina is 35, in North Dakota is 4, in Ohio is 66, in Oklahoma is 19, in Oregon is 18, in Pennsylvania is 107, in Rhode Island is 7, in South Carolina is 16, in South Dakota is 4, in Tennessee is 36, in Texas is 119, in Utah is 12, in Vermont is 2, in Virginia is 35, in Washington is 52, in West Virginia is 5, and in Wisconsin is 40.
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