Isotope shortage delaying cancer and heart tests

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

A worldwide shortage of radioactive isotopes is causing delays in some imaging tests for cancer and heart patients at area hospitals, doctors say.

The isotopes enable doctors to create images of the heart that show how well it is pumping or whether cancer has progressed to the bones. But the supply has been sporadic for several months and the shortfall could persist for years because of the shutdown of two nuclear plants, experts said.