# long term RAI question



## MLR1

Hi, I'm a newbie.

I had papillary thyroid cancer 23 years ago w/RAI afterward to kill any remaining living cancer. It was what had to be done to kill the cancer, I was 12, so I didn't worry about it.

However, I'm now wondering if anyone knows of the long term possible side effects of having RAI? I was watching House, MD the other night & they breifly stated that frying the thyroid could cause "cancers" later - I realize that this is just TV & supposed to be entertaining - but now I'm slightly (only slightly) concerned. I've come up empty on generic web searches and thought that people in the midst of thyroid disease may be better informed that I was/am.

Any responses would be welcome.

Thank you.


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## GD Women

Well it is a little late for us to worry about it now. The best we can do is live a happy, positive life and to better our health through proper foods, eating habits, exercise, supplements and regular medicals..

Below is some info. whether it helps is another matter.

Treatments or repeat treatment with large doses of radioactive iodine have been associated with a very small increase in the incidence of leukemia and other cancers. Treatment schedules are designed to minimize the risk of developing other cancers such as these. powerofprevention.com

Increased cancer incidence after radioiodine treatment for ... - wiley.com
Finland Study
CONCLUSIONS: 
Cancer incidence, especially cancer of the stomach, kidney, and breast, was higher in patients treated with RAI for hyperthyroidism. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. Read more here > 
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/114203540/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Rebuttal:
JCEM -- eLetters for Metso et al., 92 (6) 2190-2196 - jcem.endojournals.org
Response to: Increased mortality after radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism: who is the culprit 13 July 2007

Increased Mortality after RadioIodine Treatment for 
Hyperthyroidism: Who is the Culprit? 25 June 2007

I believe that the title of the article by Metso et al. (1) seems misleading--suggesting that the greater mortality in treated hyperthyroid patients was due to radioiodine therapy. Because the study was designed to compare mortality in patients with hyperthyroidism treated with radioiodine versus healthy age- and gender-matched controls, either hyperthyroidism itself or radioiodine could have been culprit behind the observed increase in mortality. Indeed, the sustained higher mortality risk in the study population up to 25 years of follow up, as suggested by the Kaplan Meier analysis, actually strengthens the alternate hypothesis that hyperthyroidism per se, rather than radioiodine therapy, may have been a greater contributor to the increased mortality observed.

Radioiodine has increasingly been recognized as a safe and effective modality of treatment for hyperthyroidism in all groups of patients, including children and younger adults (2). This article with its alarmist title, limited design, and indefinite conclusion may send a wrong message to the public, adversely affecting clinical practice.

References

1. Metso S, Jaatinen P, Huhtala H, Auvinen A, Oksala H, Salmi, J 2007 Increased Cardiovascular and Cancer Mortality after Radioiodine Treatment for Hyperthyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92:2190-2196

2. Rivkees SA, Sklar C, Freemark M. 1998. The Management of Graves' Disease in Children, with Special Emphasis on Radioiodine Treatment. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:3767-3776 
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/eletters/92/6/2190

The long term risks of developing second cancers after radioactive iodine are extremely small. Radioactive iodine treatment of thyroid cancer is not a "new therapy" and has been used for over 50 years. However some studies do show a small but statistical increase in additional cancers in patients with thyroid cancer, even in subjects who did not receive radioactive iodine
read more >http://www.mythyroid.com/radioactiveiodinecancer.html

HOW DANGEROUS IS RADIATION
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/book/chapter5.html

Patient Misconceptions and Ethical Challenges in Radioactive Iodine Scanning and Therapy by M. Sara Rosenthal, PhD, Program for Bioethics and Patients' Rights, University of Kentucky College of Medicine Note: *She had thyroid cancer herself in 1983. *
http://tech.snmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/34/3/143

RAI Fact or Fiction by Jake On-line Facilitator of National Graves Disease Foundation 
http://bb.ngdf.org/Messages/0397/78397.htm


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