Nuclear medicine is the use of radiation and imaging systems to detect disease. A nuclear medicine physician uses radioactive substances to diagnose and treat cancer and other diseases, and to research treatment for diseases. The radioactive molecules are administered to patients and then measured in the body, or samples taken from body tissue or fluids are measured. Radiation changes the body’s tissues and cells, so the tests performed after radiation is administered indicate the extent of certain diseases.

Sometimes radiation is used to kill certain cancer cells, or to reduce the pain of bone cancer. A nuclear medicine physician uses radiology to learn the effectiveness of tumor treatment, to detect cancer, diagnose infection and inflammation, or detect a blood clot in the lungs.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 1,580 practicing nuclear medicine doctors. Broken out by state, nuclear medicine doctor density in Alabama is 24, in Alaska is 1, in Arizona is 23, in Arkansas is 13, in California is 272, in Colorado is 17, in Connecticut is 35, in Delaware is 14, in District of Columbia is 25, in Florida is 99, in Georgia is 33, in Hawaii is 10, in Idaho is 3, in Illinois is 59, in Indiana is 31, in Iowa is 13, in Kansas is 9, in Kentucky is 12, in Louisiana is 19, in Maine is 4, in Maryland is 72, in Massachusetts is 68, in Michigan is 63, in Minnesota is 17, in Mississippi is 2, in Missouri is 34, in Montana is 1, in Nebraska is 9, in Nevada is 2, in New Hampshire is 2, in New Jersey is 52, in New Mexico is 13, in New York is 184, in North Carolina is 30, in North Dakota is 2, in Ohio is 60, in Oklahoma is 13, in Oregon is 21, in Pennsylvania is 92, in Rhode Island is 7, in South Carolina is 15, in South Dakota is 5, in Tennessee is 28, in Texas is 92, in Utah is 11, in Vermont is 2, in Virginia is 32, in Washington is 45, in West Virginia is 5, and in Wisconsin is 40.