Hodgkin's disease: thyroid dysfunction following external irradiation

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · N.Y. State J. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6639021

Tamura, K; Shimaoka, K

The thyroid gland is commonly included in the field of radiation therapy for patients with malignant lymphoma and with head and neck tumors. The radiation dose for malignant diseases varies considerably depending on the purpose of treatment and the institutional policies. A substantial number of these patients are developing subclinical and clinical hypothyroidism. The risk of developing hypothyroidism after a moderate radiation dose of 2000 to 4500 rads has been reported to be 10 to 20 percent. In addition, subclinical hypothyroidism is induced further in one third of the patients. There are also suggestions that external irradiation of the thyroid gland in patients with malignant lymphomas, as well as internal irradiation with radioiodine of the normal and hyperthyroid human thyroid glands, would induce elevations of serum antithyroid autoantibody titers. However, only a few cases of Graves disease following irradiation to the thyroid gland have been reported. We encountered a young woman who received radiation therapy to the mantle field for her Hodgkin's disease and developed hypothyroxinemia without overt signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, followed by appearance of nodular goiter and then full-blown Graves disease.

• Research Organization: Roswell Park Memorial Inst., Buffalo, NY
• OSTI ID: 6639021
• Journal Information: N.Y. State J. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: N.Y. State J. Med.; (United States) Vol. 81:1; ISSN NYSJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
DISEASES
DOSES
ENDOCRINE DISEASES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
EXTERNAL IRRADIATION
GLANDS
GOITER
HODGKINS DISEASE
HYPOTHYROIDISM
IRRADIATION
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
LYMPHOMAS
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PATIENTS
PHYSIOLOGY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
THERAPY
THYROID
THYROID CELLS