It is generally believed that Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) does not accumulate radioactive iodine (RAI). The aim of our retrospective study was to find out if, after thyroid surgery and RAI ...ablation of the thyroid remnant, the metastatic or recurrent HCTC accumulates RAI. We reviewed the charts of 48 patients with histopathologically verified HCTC, who were treated at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 1972 to 2000. In 16 patients (11 women, five men; 47-77 years old), who had distant metastases at presentation (eight patients) or recurrence (eight patients), whole-body RAI scanning was performed after the withdrawal of thyroid hormone replacement. Whenever RAI uptake was confirmed, the therapy with 5.6 GBq of RAI was performed. In 11 of 16 patients, the uptake (range 0.1-12%) of RAI was confirmed. Altogether, 46 therapeutic applications of RAI were given. We conclude that whole-body scanning with RAI should be performed in HCTC. RAI may be effective in the treatment of HCTC.
Imaging was performed with both pertechnetate and 131I in 58 patients with thyroid nodules. Pertechnetate concentrated in all 12 follicular carcinomas, in two out of seven papillary carcinomas, and ...in some benign nodules that did not accumulate 131I in the 24-hr images.
