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Radioactive iodine therapy in poorly differentiated thyroid cancer

Nature Clinical Practice Oncology volume 4, pages 665–668 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Background A 55-year-old male was diagnosed with poorly differentiated thyroid cancer after total thyroidectomy, which was performed because of progressive enlargement of a dominant thyroid nodule. He developed an early cervical recurrence that was treated with modified neck dissection. He subsequently developed biopsy-proven progressive pulmonary metastases.

Investigations Neck and chest CT scans, laboratory tests, CT-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy, [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-PET scan, lesional dosimetry using 124I PET scan, diagnostic radioactive iodine (RAI) scanning, whole-body and blood RAI dosimetry, and single-photon-emission CT.

Diagnosis Stage IV poorly differentiated thyroid cancer.

Management Surgical resection of cervical recurrence, RAI therapy.

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Figure 1: 124I PET-CT scan of the patient.
Figure 2: 131I post-therapy scan.
Figure 3: 131I post-therapy transaxial single-photon-emission CT.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. in the Department of Radiology at the Memorial Hospital, and Professor at the Department of Radiology, RM Tuttle is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an Associate Attending Endocrinologist, RK Grewal is an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Assistant Attending Physician, and SM Larson is Chief of Nuclear Medicine Service, Vice Chairman for Radiology Research, Director of the Laurent and Alberta Gerschel Positron Emission Tomography Center, all at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University New York, NY, USA.,

    R Michael Tuttle, Ravinder K Grewal & Steve M Larson

  2. SM Larson is also an Attending Physician, Laboratory Head of the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, and Co-Director of the Ludwig Trust Center for Immunotherapy, all at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,

    Steve M Larson

Authors
  1. R Michael Tuttle
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  2. Ravinder K Grewal
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  3. Steve M Larson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R Michael Tuttle.

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Competing interests

RM Tuttle has received honaria and research support from Genzyme. The other authors declared they have no competing interests.

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Tuttle, R., Grewal, R. & Larson, S. Radioactive iodine therapy in poorly differentiated thyroid cancer. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 4, 665–668 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc0979

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc0979

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