Thyroid carcinoma after high-dose external radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease. Report of three cases

Abstract

Three patients (two female and one male), who had received mantle irradiation for Hodgkin's disease eight, ten, and twelve years previously, developed papillary thyroid carcinoma. The radiation doses to the necks overlying the site of thyroid cancers were 3000, 4000, and 4100 rads, respectively. It has been stated that there is no risk of developing thyroid cancer with such high doses of external irradiation but apparently this complication will be encountered in a small number of patients.