Radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid cancer

Abstract

Radioiodine-131I therapy (RIT) is an unique and valuable strategy in management of post surgical differentiated thyroid cancer and has been successfully performed for more than 40 years. The patients treated by total or near-total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine-ablation of remnant tissue show substantially lower rates of recurrence as well as cancer death than those treated by surgery alone. Metastatic thyroid carcinomas accumulating 131I have better prognosis than those do not concentrate 131I. The most common side effect is salivary gland damage. There have been controversies regarding the management of radioiodine negative and thyroglobulin positive thyroid cancer. Recent application of PET or recombinant human TSH has a potential to expand the clinical role of RIT.