Danbury, TX
A 42-year-old female asked:
is radioactive iodine a fairly safe treatment after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer? i'm 42 years old.
3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

Dr. Ed Friedlander answered
Pathology 44 years experience
Do it: This is routine after surgery for certain types and stages of thyroid cancer, is standard of care, has contributed to the fairly high cure rate even when these are quite aggressive, and if this was recommended to you by scientific physicians, you should do this without fear that there is anything they are not telling you.
4862 viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. David Kornguth answered
Radiation Oncology 20 years experience
Very safe : Radioactive iodine is a very safe and effective treatment even in young patients. It is one of the easiest and effective cancer treatments available.
4860 viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Radioactive iodine: It is safe and effective. It has been used millions of times and the side effects are low. It is being used more judiciously recently based on 2015 ATA guidelines. Low risk cancers don't usually need RAI. Intermediate risk can benefit from a low dose to ablate the thyroid remnant. High risk benefit from conventional RAI 70-100+ mCi.
1173 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Mar 12, 2020
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