1. Oldie but Goldie: The Fundamental Role of Radioiodine in the Management of Thyroid Cancer.
- Author
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Campennì, Alfredo, Siracusa, Massimiliano, and Ruggeri, Rosaria Maddalena
- Abstract
Background/Objectives: The management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients has undergone a major paradigm shift in past years, especially regarding the role of a careful postoperative disease assessment both in deciding for or against the use of iodine-131 therapy (i.e., patients' selection) and in selecting the correct goal of the treatment: ablative, adjuvant or therapeutic. Furthermore, diagnostic and risk-oriented uses of iodine isotopes (i.e., 123/124/131I) should always be considered during both postoperative assessment and follow-up of DTC patients to improve early staging and response assessment to initial treatments, respectively. The present review summarizes current (and real-life-related) evidence and the emerging perspectives on the therapeutic, diagnostic, and theragnostic use of radioiodine isotopes. Methods: A review of the pertinent literature was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus without language restrictions or time limits and using one or more fitting search criteria and terms. Results: According to the literature evidence and real-life clinical practice, a risk-oriented postoperative iodine-131 therapy remains pivotal for most DTC patients and improves early disease staging through post-therapy functional imaging (i.e., theragnostic aim). Accordingly, the goal of iodine-131 therapy, the optimal strategy (empiric vs. dosimetric approach), the appropriate stimulation method [i.e., levothyroxine (L-T4) withdrawal vs. recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) administration] and, finally, the suggested radioiodine activity to deliver for iodine-131 therapy (RIT) should be personalized, especially in metastatic DTC patients. Conclusions: The evidence related to the diagnostic and theragnostic use of iodine isotopes leads to a significant improvement in the postoperative risk stratification and staging of DTC patients in addition to a more accurate assessment of the response to initial treatments. In conclusion, radioiodine is really an oldie but goldie radiotracer. It has both a current fundamental role and a future perspective for the more careful management of DTC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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