The number of radioligand therapy applications for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer has been continuously rising in most nuclear medicine departments in Iran, but to our knowledge, no one has studied the dose to staff who perform treatment procedures. The current study aimed to determine the external radiation dose received by staff who, using or not using a lead shield, treat patients with 177Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen therapy. Methods: This study used a personal thermoluminescent digital survey meter to measure dose rates to staff at various distances from patients and determined the average time spent by staff at these distances. The deep-dose equivalent to staff was obtained. Results: The measured deep-dose equivalent to staff per patient was within the range of 1.8-5.2 mSv using a 2-mm lead shield and 3.3-8.1 mSv not using the shield. The shield markedly reduced the external dose to staff. Conclusion: The skill and accuracy of staff, and the speed with which they act, can directly affect their received dose.
Keywords: 177Lu-PSMA-DKFZ-617; dose rate; mean doses; nuclear medicine; prostate cancer.
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