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Radioiodine Treatment of Thyroid Cancer

General Considerations — II Side Effects of Radioiodine Therapy for Thyroid Cancer

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Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

A 150-mCi treatment dose of 131I will result in a dose of 39,000 cGy to the thyroid and 36 cGy to the total body (1). Therefore, a discussion of side effects of 131I therapy for thyroid cancer must be included in the preliminary workup and treatment considerations of all patients. The nuclear medicine physician, endocrinologist, primary care physician, patient, and the patient’s family should be aware of possible short- and longterm radiation-related side effects and complications. However, this discussion is not as straightforward as we might like, due to the unknown significance of low-level radiation exposure and the lack of large prospective studies with matched patient populations. Yet, by careful analysis of the case reports and retrospective studies, we can make a fairly accurate assessment of the risks.

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Authors
  1. Diane Sweeney
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  2. Gerald Johnston
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

  2. Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

  3. George Washington University of Schools of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky MD, MPH, MACP (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard) (Chairman, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Georgetown, Howard)

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Sweeney, D., Johnston, G. (2000). Radioiodine Treatment of Thyroid Cancer. In: Wartofsky, L. (eds) Thyroid Cancer. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-199-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-199-2_13

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-6845-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-199-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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