Patients with hyperthyroidism treated with I-131 radioactive iodine (RAI) are at an increased risk of death due to solid cancer, according to a new study. Researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI; Rockville, MD, USA), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC, Nashville, TN, USA), and other institutions undertook a 24-year extensive review of a study that followed US and UK patients who were diagnosed and treated for hyperthyroidism, beginning in 1946. A total of 18,805 patients (78% women), who were treated with RAI and who had no prior history of cancer at the time of first treatment were included in the analysis. The excess relative risks (ERRs) per 100-mGy dose to the organ or tissue were calculated.
Source: MedImaging