Dr. Terris explains what postoperative radioactive iodine therapy is.
Dr. Terris:
So that’s a way of treating thyroid cancer by administering radioactive iodine. So the thyroid gland uses iodine to make thyroid hormone. So we essentially trick the body by giving it radioactive iodine which will go directly to the thyroid gland if it’s present, but if it’s not present it will go to any tissues that contain thyroid-like tissue or thyroid cancer.
So it’s a very targeted way of sending a lot of radiation just to tissues that harbor cancer, and it spares most of the normal tissues in the body. It’s a terrific way of treating thyroid cancer as a step beyond thyroid surgery.
About Dr. David Terris, M.D.:
Dr. David J. Terris is a Professor, Department Chair and Porubsky Distinguished Chair in the Otolaryngology Department at the Medical College of Georgia. He graduated with his B.A. from Cornell University and his medical doctorate from Duke University Medical School.
Visit Dr. Terris at the Medical College of Georgia