Cross Section and Yield Calculations of Copper- 67 used in Medicine

Radiopharmaceuticals used in positron emission tomography (PET) are among the most suitable isotopes for radioimmunotherapy. Copper-67 is a suitable radionuclide for labeling a wide range of tumors due to its long enough half-life to allow good biodistribution within the tumor. Among the possible methods for producing Copper-67 using a cyclotron, we investigate deuteron irradiation of natural zinc and copper targets. This paper examines alpha particle, proton beam, and deuteron irradiation of zinc isotopes, and proton irradiation of gallium-71. Key published and verified experimental findings for excitation functions served as the basis for calculating the cross-section and overall integral yield.