Application and Future Development of Metal Stable Isotopes in Tumor Therapy

Abstract

As tumor treatment technology continues to innovate, the medical community is urgently seeking diagnostic and therapeutic methods that are both safe and sensitive. Metal stable isotopes, with their unique properties of non-radioactivity, traceability, and close relationship with human metal metabolism, are becoming a potential new star in precision medicine. Unlike traditional imaging or blood markers, they reflect the cellular environment and pathological state through subtle changes in isotope distribution and have unprecedented depth of diagnostic and therapeutic information. This article focuses on the research status of key metal stable isotopes such as Fe, Cu, Zn, and Ca and their actual and potential applications in tumor diagnosis and treatment, covering their metabolic mechanisms, tissue distribution characteristics, and tumor correlation. By integrating multidisciplinary research results, their clinical value in early screening, treatment evaluation, and disease monitoring is analyzed. The article also points out that this field still faces challenges such as unclear basic mechanisms, insufficient clinical data, and slow technical standardization.