Radioiodine therapy is the targeted use of radioactive iodine, most commonly iodine-131, to treat thyroid disease by exploiting the thyroid gland's selective uptake of iodine through the sodium-iodide symporter. Once concentrated in thyroid follicular cells, the isotope emits beta particles that deliver localized io…
Radioiodine therapy is the targeted use of radioactive iodine, most commonly iodine-131, to treat thyroid disease by exploiting the thyroid gland's selective uptake of iodine through the sodium-iodide symporter. Once concentrated in thyroid follicular cells, the isotope emits beta particles that deliver localized ionizing radiation, ablating residual thyroid tissue and destroying iodine-avid tumor cells while largely sparing surrounding structures. In differentiated Thyroid Cancer of follicular cell origin, radioiodine is administered after total or near-total thyroidectomy to ablate remnant normal thyroid tissue, treat microscopic or metastatic disease, and facilitate long-term surveillance using thyroglobulin measurement and whole-body iodine scanning. Treatment is guided by risk stratification, with administered activity tailored to disease extent, and increasingly informed by molecular characterization that predicts tumor behavior and iodine avidity. Long-term outcome data from treated cohorts demonstrate its established role in management. Because the isotope is excreted in body fluids and emits penetrating gamma radiation, radiation protection is integral to therapy, including counseling and precautions to limit household and contact exposure after ambulatory administration. Careful patient selection, dosimetric considerations, and follow-up balance therapeutic efficacy against potential effects on salivary, hematologic, and other tissues.
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