Radioiodine therapy
There are some radioactive iodine isotopes that are used in the medical field. The most important is the radioactive iodine isotope 131-Iodine.It is a beta-emitter with a half-life of about eight days and is used in radioiodine therapy because in the human organism it is stored exclusively in the cells of the thyroid gland. Radioiodine therapy is a procedure from the field of nuclear medicine, it is used for the treatment of Graves’ disease, thyroid autonomy and certain thyroid tumors.
Radioiodine therapy has been used for half a century and is now considered a very safe procedure without many side effects. Since radioiodine therapy, as the name suggests, is carried out with radioactive, i.e. radiating iodine, it is subject to certain legal regulations. In Germany, it may only be performed in a hospital, i.e. in an inpatient setting.
The treating physician must have a permit to carry out the therapy. Radioiodine therapy must also be performed at a nuclear medicine therapy ward. Mode of action of radioiodine therapy The radioactive iodine is taken orally either as tablets or in the form of a liquid.
If this is not possible, the iodine can also be administered into the vein (intravenously). The iodine enters the blood via the gastrointestinal tract and is absorbed by the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland then stores the radioactive iodine in the thyroid follicles.
Radioiodine therapy is based on the fact that the thyroid gland is the only organ that absorbs the iodine. Nowhere else in the body does the iodine accumulate. As a result, the thyroid gland is effectively irradiated and can be destroyed.
At the same time, the rest of the body is almost completely spared and there are usually few side effects caused by the irradiation. Fields of application of radioiodine therapy Radioiodine therapy is used for diseases of the thyroid gland. The most important diseases for which radioiodine therapy can be applied are the autonomic dysfunctions of the thyroid gland (autonomous adenoma, disseminated autonomy and multifocal autonomy), Graves’ disease and some types of thyroid cancer (namely the tumors that absorb iodine, this is a prerequisite for radioiodine therapy).
There may be alternative drug therapies for certain diseases. Usually, the only real alternative to radioiodine therapy is surgical removal of the thyroid gland. When choosing between radioiodine therapy and thyroid surgery, various aspects must be considered.
Examples include the patient’s age and concomitant diseases. A high age and many concomitant diseases speak rather for a radioiodine therapy to avoid the stress of an operation. However, there are several other aspects that speak in favor of an operation.
An overactive thyroid gland caused by iodine should, for example, rather be treated by an operation. Other important arguments for surgery are a suspected malignant tumor or if surrounding structures are trapped by the thyroid gland. An absolute contraindication for radioiodine therapy is an existing pregnancy (for benign thyroid diseases). One should also avoid pregnancy if one has received radioiodine therapy about six months previously.
