Thyroid protection during external beam radiotherapy and systemic radioisotope therapy

• Il’ya I. Amergulov
• Mariya G. Pavlova
• Yulia P. Sych

Abstract

After neck irradiation, some thyroid diseases such as hypo-, hyperthyroidism, or thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer can occur. As cancer therapy has been improved nowadays and survival rates among the patients have increased, a prevention of longterm adverse effects of irradiation on the thyroid is important. However, there are no guidelines for prevention of thyroid disease during the neck irradiation. Some potential prophylaxis strategies for thyroid protection, such as TSH-suppressive therapy with levothyroxine and free thyroid transfer to forearm before neck radiotherapy, have been described. These approaches may decrease the risk of thyroid diseases after radiotherapy. However, these approaches have not been studied well. More comparative studies based on larger sample groups are needed.

Keywords:radiation therapy, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, radioisotope therapy, Hodgkin Lymphoma, head and neck cancers, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma

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