A multi-dose bottle of radioactive iodine and a tablet containing a single dose. Radioactive iodine is used to treat cancers and diseases of the thyroid. (Utah Health College)
Estimated duration: 6-7 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Shirley Crepeaux hesitated a little when doctors suggested radioactive iodine as a treatment for her thyroid cancer about 12 years ago. She trusted her Huntsman Cancer Institute doctors, but she still felt terrified and terrified.
“When faced with leaving a 12-year-old alone, widowing my husband, or taking poison, I take poison,” she said.
Crepeaux, now 54, is a mother of four. Her youngest child, she was 12 when she was diagnosed with cancer.
“We tried to make the cancer diagnosis as a minor event as possible,” she said.
But the radioactive iodine treatment was definitely an event.
She was given a small vial to drink alone in a particular room and given numerous warnings through a speaker system not to spill or drop it.
After drinking it, she was told to stay away from pregnant women and children for a week. Clepaud said she was “pretty miserable,” but her husband did everything he could to keep in touch with her family, making video calls at the breakfast table and looking through the window. I shook
“In the big picture, it was a week of my life, but then I was back to myself.
Usage
Thyroid cancer is one of the more common cancers and one of the easiest to treat, partly due to radioactive iodine.
Dr. Dev Abraham of the Huntsman Cancer Institute notes that the first use of radioactive iodine was in the 1930s and 1940s, at about the same time chemotherapy was developed and became commonplace in the 1960s. It treats cancers, disorders, and Graves’ disease (which causes the thyroid gland to overproduce hormones).
“It has stood the test of time,” said Abraham.
What changed while it was in use was the dosage, and Abraham said too much radioactive iodine could increase the risk of other cancers, suggesting the dosage could be lowered. However, he said there were a growing number of recent reports showing a statistically significant increase. 5 to 10 years from now.
Radioactive iodine is administered in capsules or drinks, which Abraham says is a unique targeted treatment. Thyroid tissue, including thyroid cancer tissue that has spread throughout the body, is destroyed by treatment once it enters the cells. Other cells in contact with radioactive iodine in the blood are unaffected.
“It’s a treatment that’s specifically determined by the ability of tissues to take up, pick up, and trap iodine, so tissues that are trapping iodine are more likely to be killed by this low-level radioactivity.” said Abraham.
Before taking radioactive iodine, doctors like Abraham help patients starve the thyroid and thyroid cancer tissues from iodine by avoiding certain foods, so that those cells starve and absorb radioactive iodine. Make it absorb more.
Most often, this treatment is used to treat residual thyroid tissue that may contain cancer cells or cancer cells that have spread after surgery to remove most of the cancer. This is more common in thyroid cancer than in many other cancers.
He said that in many cancers, spread to other areas leads to poor prognosis.However, in the case of radioactive iodine, spread of thyroid cancer does not necessarily mean poor prognosis.
long term impact
Abraham said one death was too many, but not many patients die from thyroid cancer. American Cancer Society estimates Approximately 43,800 new cases of thyroid cancer will occur in 2022, resulting in approximately 2,230 deaths.
The main purpose of radioactive iodine is to reduce the frequency of thyroid cancer recurrence, he said.
Crepeaux continues to see Abraham every year, and he has been taking care of her for years, and she continues to seem to be doing very well, saying the radioactive iodine treatment is effective. rice field.
Crepeaux is one of the few thyroid cancer patients with residual cancer. Abraham said these are probably dead thyroid cancer cells, and in most patients having cancer cells remaining but not progressing is as good as a cure.
Thanks to radioactive iodine treatment, Crepeaux has always dealt with dry nose, throat, and eyes.
Abraham says this is one reason why treatment should be tailored to the patient using the lowest effective dose. He said that sometimes two doses are given in severe cases, but three doses are rarely given.
If the cancer returns and Crepeau decides to take a second dose of radioactive iodine, she said she will run out of tears, saliva, and saliva, making her even more uncomfortable.
optimism
Crepeaux was a hairdresser for 30 years and is now attending school to become a medical assistant.
“This is what happened to me. And if I love you., I love you with everything….I don’t let cancer or anything else change that or define me.
She said it was thanks to her doctor that she was tested for thyroid cancer. When found, it was between stages 3 and 4 and had already spread to her lungs. Her only symptoms until then were pain in her shoulder and difficulty swallowing.
Now, Crepeaux recommends that everyone feel a thyroid lump and either self-examine or have it checked by a doctor at an annual check-up.
Crepeaux was told after surgery that her voice would be very whispering and harsh, but treatment and a loud voice saved her voice.
“Fortunately, my voice was jarringly loud before surgery and now it’s normal,” she said.
But her laughter is still loud, laughter enough to attract even more laughter from everyone else in the room.
Overall, Crepeaux shared a message of hope, gratitude for others going through similar situations, and encouraged them to focus on the little things that bring them happiness.
“Most people with cancer live with it, but they don’t die with it,” she said.
