What is Radioactive Iodine Therapy?
Radioactive iodine therapy is the ingestion of radioactive iodine-131 (I 131) in liquid or capsule form. Once inside the body, it targets the thyroid gland and inhibits its function, causing the thyroid gland to shrink. This effectively helps treat hyperthyroidism. It is important to understand that hyperthyroidism is not the same disease as thyroid cancer.
Thyroid Disorders VS Thyroid Cancer
Most patients with thyroid diseases usually visit the doctor with two types of abnormal symptoms:
- Patients with hyperthyroidism often come with symptoms such as easy fatigue, palpitations, weight loss, and sweating on the palms and soles because the body produces excessive thyroid hormones. There may or may not be a lump in the neck.
- Meanwhile, patients with thyroid cancer will have a lump in the neck, but the lump does not produce more thyroid hormones than normal, so they usually do not show symptoms like hyperthyroidism.
What to do if you have a lump in your neck? How dangerous is it?
If a lump is detected in the neck and suspected to be in the thyroid gland, the doctor will perform a blood test to diagnose whether the lump produces excessive thyroid hormones. If the blood test results show normal hormone levels, an ultrasound of the thyroid gland (Ultrasound thyroid) will be performed. This examination allows detailed visualization of the lump. If the characteristics of the thyroid lump appear suspicious for thyroid cancer, the doctor will recommend a fine needle aspiration biopsy to collect cells from the lump for detailed examination to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
The biopsy of the thyroid gland is a simple procedure and usually does not cause much pain to the patient. The doctor uses a small syringe needle to puncture the skin directly into the lump and randomly collects cells from the lump for laboratory examination to help confirm whether the lump is a benign tumor or thyroid cancer.
Thyroid Cancer Can Be Treated with These Methods
The main treatments for thyroid cancer are divided into:
- Thyroidectomy (removal of the thyroid gland). After surgery, the doctor will schedule a follow-up to check the wound, review the biopsy results, and assess the stage of the disease to plan further treatment.
- Radioactive iodine therapy, which must be administered by a nuclear medicine specialist. Most doctors will schedule treatment with radioactive iodine-131 after complete thyroidectomy to eliminate any remaining cancer cells. This treatment is widely used because it has few side effects, as radioactive iodine specifically targets the thyroid gland only.
Supplement with “Radioactive Iodine Ingestion” to Enhance Thyroid Treatment
Doctors usually consider additional radioactive iodine therapy for patients with the following characteristics:
- Cancerous lump larger than 4 centimeters
- Multiple cancerous spots found in the thyroid gland
- Spread to lymph nodes around the thyroid gland
- Cell characteristics showing capsule invasion or vascular or lymphatic invasion
- Follicular cell carcinoma
Radioactive iodine ingestion is a simple method with few side effects. Patients usually experience no residual side effects. After treatment, the doctor will schedule a follow-up radioactive iodine scan in 6 months. If cancer cells or remaining thyroid tissue are still detected, additional radioactive iodine therapy may be considered.
