Definition
Radioiodine therapy (abbreviated RIT) or radioiodine therapy (RJT) is a special form of irradiation that is used exclusively for various benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid gland. The patient is usually administered a special type of iodine in tablet form, which emits radioactive radiation. The body treats it like normal iodine and absorbs it almost exclusively in the thyroid gland. The radiation specifically destroys the thyroid gland tissue, while other organs and tissues are spared. The therapy must be carried out on a special nuclear medicine ward and is associated with a hospital stay of at least 2 days.
Indications for radioiodine therapy
Radioiodine therapy is a special form of treatment used exclusively for thyroid gland disorders. The indications range from benign diseases to certain forms of thyroid cancer. The method of choice is radioiodine therapy for the so-called thyroid gland autonomy.
This disease involves thyroid tissue that has escaped the body’s control mechanisms and produces uninhibited thyroid hormones. Radioiodine therapy can be used to specifically destroy the diseased tissue. The autoimmune disease Graves’ disease also leads to increased thyroid hormone production.
Radioiodine therapy can also be used for this disease. In most cases, the aim must be to destroy the entire thyroid gland tissue in order to achieve a cure. Furthermore, radioiodine therapy is used for various forms of thyroid cancer.
However, this therapy is only possible if the cancer cells absorb iodine like healthy thyroid cells and have not lost this property due to degeneration. The alternative to radioiodine therapy is often surgery. In some cases, such as thyroid cancer, both procedures are often combined.
After the surgical removal of the thyroid gland, radioiodine therapy is then performed to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue. In many cases and with timely therapy, thyroid cancer can be cured in this way. Graves’ disease is a disease that leads, among other things, to hyperthyroidism.
This is caused by so-called antibodies (proteins released by defence cells), which are produced by the body and which stimulate the thyroid gland to abnormally increase hormone production (autoimmune thyroid disease). People who fall ill are usually first treated with drugs that inhibit the excessive hormone production of the thyroid gland (for example carbimazole). If treatment with these so-called thyrostatic drugs does not lead to a cure, radioiodine therapy is often recommended in addition to surgery. In this way, the thyroid gland tissue is specifically destroyed. As a consequence, usually no or too few thyroid hormones are produced, they usually have to be replaced by tablets for life.
