AN EVALUATION OF VARIOUS FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TREATMENT OF METASTATIC THYROID CARCINOMA WITH I¹³¹*†

Abstract

Although radioactive iodine has been effective in the treatment of patients with hyperthyroidism, its usefulness has been limited in patients with metastatic thyroid carcinoma. An explanation for the latter is the failure of most thyroid carcinomas to concentrate sufficient I131 to be of therapeutic value. Furthermore, even in the tumors which do concentrate significant amounts of I131, the response has been disappointing. Since 1945, various measures have been employed to induce or increase the uptake of I131 in metastatic thyroid carcinomas of patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) prior to radioactive iodine treatment (1, 2, 3). In some of these patients large doses of I131 have been