Radium-223 Therapy
Radium-223 therapy is an alpha-emitting radionuclide given by injection to treat prostate cancer that has spread to the bones. Because radium behaves like calcium, it concentrates where bone metastases are most active and delivers very short-range radiation that relieves bone pain and can prolong life, while largely sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
Radium-223 is a radioactive form of the element radium that the body treats much like calcium. Given as a simple injection into a vein, it travels to areas of high bone turnover — exactly where prostate-cancer bone metastases are growing — and settles there. It then releases alpha particles, a powerful but extremely short-range form of radiation that damages cancer cells in the bone while sparing nearby healthy marrow. It is used for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer that has spread to the bones and is causing symptoms, but has not spread significantly to other organs. Treatment is given on an outpatient basis, usually as six injections about one month apart, delivered by the nuclear medicine team alongside your oncologist.
International patients are supported by a dedicated coordinator who arranges the cycle schedule and aftercare around your travel. Our specialists can review your scans and records remotely to confirm suitability and give a second opinion before you travel, and you receive a transparent, itemized cost estimate in advance.
Who is a candidate?
- Men with castration-resistant prostate cancer that has spread to the bones
- Patients with symptomatic bone metastases, such as bone pain, rather than no symptoms
- Those whose cancer has not spread significantly to internal organs such as the liver or lungs
- Patients with adequate bone marrow and blood counts to tolerate the treatment
- Men already on hormone (androgen-deprivation) therapy whose disease is progressing in the bones
- Patients whose case has been reviewed by the oncology and nuclear medicine team as appropriate for radium-223
What happens
- 1
Preparation
Your team confirms the cancer has spread mainly to bone and is causing symptoms, reviews recent scans, and checks blood counts before each cycle. There is no special diet and no fasting — you simply attend for each scheduled injection.
- 2
During treatment
Radium-223 is given as a short injection into a vein and takes only a few minutes; there is no surgery and no anesthesia. The treatment is an outpatient one, usually repeated for six cycles about one month apart, so most men return home the same day.
- 3
Afterwards & results
You can resume normal activity straight away, following simple, brief hygiene precautions your team explains. Blood counts and symptoms are checked before each cycle, and your oncologist tracks the response. Your coordinator arranges follow-up so care can continue once you return home.
Benefits
- Targets active bone metastases directly, sparing much of the surrounding healthy tissue
- Can relieve cancer-related bone pain and improve day-to-day comfort
- Has been shown to prolong life in suitable men with bone-predominant disease
- Given as a quick outpatient injection with no surgery or anesthesia
- May delay bone complications such as fractures and the need for radiotherapy to bone
Risks & considerations
- Lower blood counts, which can raise the risk of infection or bleeding, so your blood is checked before each cycle
- Mild nausea, diarrhea or vomiting, and sometimes a short-lived increase in bone pain after a dose
- Tiredness and swelling of the legs or feet in some patients
- Brief precautions around bodily fluids after each injection, which your team explains
- Contact your medical team straight away if you develop a fever, chills or other signs of infection, or any unusual bruising or bleeding, which can be signs of low blood counts
Conditions this treats
Where it is performed
This procedure is delivered by our Nuclear Medicine & Theranostics Department.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
Radium-223 Therapy — frequently asked questions
It is given as a quick injection into a vein, taking only a few minutes, on an outpatient basis. Most men receive six injections about one month apart, though your oncologist confirms the plan based on how you respond and your blood counts.
Radium-223 is not a cure, but in suitable men it can relieve bone pain, delay bone complications and prolong life. Your oncologist explains honestly what it can realistically achieve in your situation alongside your other treatments.
Yes. The alpha radiation it gives off travels an extremely short distance, so the risk to others is low. You follow simple, short-term hygiene precautions — mainly around bodily fluids — for a few days after each injection, which your team explains clearly.
Yes. Share your recent scans, blood tests and reports and our oncology and nuclear medicine specialists provide an independent opinion on whether radium-223 is appropriate for you, before you commit to travel.
Each injection is a same-day outpatient visit, but the full course spans several months — your coordinator helps plan travel around the cycles, including any you may complete closer to home. We provide a transparent, itemized cost estimate after reviewing your case, listing each cycle, scans and monitoring. We do not quote fixed prices online because each plan is individual.
Radium-223 is usually given alongside ongoing hormone therapy, but it is not combined with certain other treatments. Your oncology and nuclear medicine team review your full treatment history to plan it safely and decide the right sequence.
Related treatments
Considering radium-223 therapy?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.