Radium

Radium (Ra) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Radium’s research intensity remains at about 5% of its own all-time peak, a level that has held steady over the last decade.

Research intensity ran from about 5% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 5% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, and the all-time peak (1933) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements held steady. Among the 118 elements, radium has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 2,228 in 2016 to about 3,398 in 2025 (1.53x). That is slower than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element lost ground in the wider body of research even as its own count rose.

The most prominent research community is Radium-223 Therapy for Bone-Metastatic Prostate Cancer, which accounts for about 36% of the element's recent research. This community focuses on clinical studies of radium-223 dichloride as a targeted treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer with symptomatic bone metastases. While radium is a minor presence in this much larger community—about 2% of its papers involve radium—it is central to this specific therapeutic application. The community’s share has remained steady over the window. A key anchor is the 2022 paper "Targeting signaling pathways in prostate cancer: mechanisms and clinical trials," cited over 260 times, which outlines the mechanisms and clinical trials for this approach.

The second major community is Radium in Natural Radioactivity of Submarine Groundwater, representing about 32% of recent research. These papers assess radium isotopes and natural radionuclides in submarine groundwater, focusing on radiological hazards and risk. Radium is a minor presence in this broader context, comprising about 4% of the community's papers. The share of this community has also remained steady. A notable study is the 2021 analysis of radionuclide distribution along the north-western coastline of the Aegean Sea, Greece, cited over 260 times, which highlights the radiological hazards associated with natural sources.

A smaller but distinct community, Radium Co-occurrence with Uranium and Thorium in Water, holds about 11% of the element's recent research. Here, papers track radium alongside uranium and thorium in drinking water and actinide mixtures, rather than radium as a standalone material. Radium is a minor presence in this field, involved in about 1% of the community's papers. The share of this community has remained steady. A 2025 review on solvent extraction and isolation strategies for uranium, thorium, and radium in rare earth element recovery, cited about 14 times, illustrates the technical focus on separating these co-occurring elements.

Overall, the composition of radium research has remained stable, with the three main communities holding steady shares. The remainder of the research, comprising about 21% of the element's work, is distributed across other smaller communities.

For a deeper look at radium's current standing and recent developments, see the element's Last 12 Months report or Executive Brief.