Radioiodine therapy (I-131)
Swallowing a capsule of radioactive iodine after thyroid surgery: thyroid cells (including cancer cells) are the only ones that soak up iodine, so the radiation destroys leftover thyroid tissue and metastases while sparing everything else. It was the first targeted radiotherapy, in 1946.
Differentiated (papillary and follicular) thyroid cancer retains iodine uptake, so I-131 ablates remnant tissue after total thyroidectomy in intermediate- and high-risk patients and treats iodine-avid metastases; low-risk patients no longer need it (ESTIMABL2, IoN). Thyroglobulin and whole-body scans monitor for recurrence. 'Radioiodine-refractory' disease (about 5-15%, more in poorly differentiated and BRAF-mutant tumours) is treated with lenvatinib, sorafenib or targeted drugs for RET, NTRK and BRAF alterations, and MEK/BRAF inhibitors can restore iodine uptake ('redifferentiation'). Side effects are salivary gland damage, dry mouth and a small excess of secondary cancers at high cumulative doses.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- TrialREFLECT
Shares Sorafenib, Lenvatinib.
- TermPRRT (peptide receptor radionuclide therapy)
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), Theranostics.
- TrialHiLo
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Thyroid cancer.
- TrialASTRA
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Thyroid cancer.
- TrialIoN
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Thyroid cancer.
- TrialESTIMABL2
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Thyroid cancer.
- ProductRadioactive iodine (I-131)
Shares Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning, Theranostics, Thyroid cancer.
- PairingSSTR PET → PRRT
Shares Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), Theranostics.