I had my thyroid compleyly removed the doctor said it did not spread to the lymph nodes but wants to give me a radioactive iodine treatment she said there was some tissure around the trachea area that may have cancer cells in it but they were unable to

No right answer: If the tumor was a papillary or follicular lesion, had no aggressive features and was less than a cm many would hold rai. The advantage of doing rai occurs if you have thyroglobulin. You should seek an opinion from a thyroidologist.

It is often used: There are a number of guidelines for the use of radioiodine after surgery for the more common types of thyroid cancer. The details should be reviewed by your surgeon and radiation oncologist. Sometimes nuclear medicine physicians are involved as well. These physicians can review the specific reasons for treatment and the possible side effects.