Answer to Question #12110 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"
Category: Pregnancy and Radiation
The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:
Q
If a patient who is breast-feeding her child receives indium-111 (111In) octreotide, should she interrupt breast-feeding for a certain length of time? Also if a patient receives 111In diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) for a colon transit study, should breast-feeding be interrupted?
A
It appears that breast-feeding does not need to be interrupted for either of these radiopharmaceuticals. According to Regulatory Guide 8.39 Release of Patients Administered Radioactive Materials, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not require interruption of breast-feeding for 111In octreotide or 111In DTPA. Either these radiopharmaceuticals are not excreted in breast milk, or the activity that is routinely administered is less than the activity that would give a measurable dose of radiation to the infant.
Kelly Classic
Certified Medical Health Physicist
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Answer posted on 24 August 2017. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.
