Nuclear Oncology

The 131 is used as adjunctive therapy to surgery for thyroid cancer. When the patient was referred to nuclear medicine with a prescription for screening and treatment with 131 and has been involved, having removed the tumor and the pigeon thyroid.

The 131 completes the treatment to remove residual normal thyroid tissue or metastatic potential of tumor glands in the neck or the rest of the body, if any.

How is the 131?
The 131 is taken by mouth, usually in capsule form a standard size, like any other drug.

How does the 131?
The treatment uses a form of iodine (131I) which is radioactive. The thyroid gland accumulates iodine that enters the body with food and uses this iodine to perform its normal function, which is to form thyroid hormones.

Radioactive Iodine (131I) is also trapped by the thyroid. The radiation emitted by this form of iodine decreases the function of thyroid cells and inhibits their ability to grow to its destruction. This is the effect to be achieved with treatment.