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Dosimetry-guided high-activity 131I therapy in patients with advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma: initial experience

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

In patients with advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), therapy with the highest safe 131I activity is desirable to maximize the tumour radiation dose yet avoid severe myelotoxicity. Recently, the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) published a standard operational procedure (SOP) for pre-therapeutic dosimetry in DTC patients incorporating a safety threshold of a 2 Gy absorbed dose to the blood as a surrogate for the red marrow. We sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness in everyday tertiary referral centre practice of treating advanced DTC with high 131I activities chosen primarily based on the results of dosimetry following this SOP.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed toxicity as well as biochemical and scintigraphic response in our first ten patients receiving such therapy for advanced DTC.

Results

The 10 patients received a total of 13 dosimetrically guided treatments with a median administered activity of 14.0 GBq (range: 7.0–21.4 GBq) 131I. After 6 of 13 treatments in 6 of 10 patients, short-term side effects of 131I therapy, namely nausea, vomiting or sialadenitis, were observed. Leukocyte and platelet counts dropped significantly in the weeks after 131I treatment, but returned to pre-treatment levels by 3 months post-therapy. Serum thyroglobulin levels decreased after 12 of 13 treatments (median reduction: 58%) in 9 of 10 patients.

Conclusion

In our initial patient cohort, high-activity 131I therapy for advanced DTC based on pre-therapeutic blood dosimetry following the EANM SOP was safe and well tolerated. Such treatment almost always produced a partial biochemical tumour response.

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Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Robert J. Marlowe for his invaluable extensive editorial assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Markus Luster

    Present address: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Straße 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany

    Frederik A. Verburg, Heribert Hänscheid, Johannes Biko, Maria C. Hategan, Michael Lassmann, Michael C. Kreissl, Christoph Reiners & Markus Luster

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  1. Frederik A. Verburg
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  2. Heribert Hänscheid
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  3. Johannes Biko
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  4. Maria C. Hategan
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  5. Michael Lassmann
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  6. Michael C. Kreissl
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  7. Christoph Reiners
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  8. Markus Luster
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederik A. Verburg.

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Verburg, F.A., Hänscheid, H., Biko, J. et al. Dosimetry-guided high-activity 131I therapy in patients with advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma: initial experience. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 37, 896–903 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-009-1303-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-009-1303-x

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