LIMITATIONS AND INDICATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER OF THE THYROID WITH RADIOACTIVE IODINE*†

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Abstract
The limitations to treatment of the thyroid with radio-active I are defined as follows: The relative to absolute lack of natural avidity for I131 of practically all cancers of the thyroid and the natural variability in function of those tumors which do concentrate radioiodine; the physician-induced impairment to natural or induced avidity for radioiodine of certain tumors, i.e., by admn. of I or I-containing drugs or by admn. of non-cancericidal amts. of radiation, isotopic or X-ray; and the damaging effects of the radiation from radioiodine on normal or vital tissues, i.e., the blood and blood-forming organs. The indications for treatment of cancer of the thyroid with radio-active iodine are defined as follows: that the tumor be not removable by a competent surgeon; that the tumor be capable of concentrating enough radio-active I to exert a cancericidal effect (methods of inducing this function in such tumors are discussed); and that the calculated total blood irradiation delivered by the proposed therapeutic dose of I131 be within the range of safety, i.e., less than 500 r.e.p.