Radioactive iodine how does it work

Is there any special preparation needed for the procedure? How is the procedure performed? What will I feel during this procedure? Are there permanent side effects from the procedure? Doctors also use radioactive iodine I to treat thyroid cancer. There is no equipment used during radioactive iodine therapy. The following guidelines comply with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Use private toilet facilities, if possible, and flush twice after each use.

Bathe daily and wash hands frequently. Drink a normal amount of fluids. Use disposable eating utensils or wash your utensils separately from others. Sleep alone and avoid prolonged intimate contact for three or four days. Brief periods of close contact, such as handshaking and hugging, are permitted. Launder your linens, towels, and clothes daily at home, separately. No special cleaning of the washing machine is required between loads.

Do not prepare food for others that requires prolonged handling with bare hands. If you are breastfeeding, you must stop several days before to ensure that milk production has also stopped. You should avoid becoming pregnant from six months to one year after treatment.

You must be sure you are not pregnant before receiving I Many facilities require a pregnancy test within 24 hours prior to giving I in all women of child-bearing age who have not had a surgical procedure to prevent pregnancy. Pre-menopausal women should fully discuss the use of I with their doctor.

Send us your feedback Did you find the information you were looking for? Yes No. Area Code:. Phone no:. View full size with caption. Sponsored By. Because of this, radioactive iodine RAI, also called I can be used to treat thyroid cancer. The RAI collects mainly in thyroid cells, where the radiation can destroy the thyroid gland and any other thyroid cells including cancer cells that take up iodine, with little effect on the rest of your body.

The radiation dose used here is much stronger than the one used in radioiodine scans, which are described in Tests for Thyroid Cancer. This treatment can be used to ablate destroy any thyroid tissue not removed by surgery or to treat some types of thyroid cancer that have spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.

Radioactive iodine therapy helps people live longer if they have papillary or follicular thyroid cancer differentiated thyroid cancer that has spread to the neck or other body parts, and it is now standard practice in such cases.

But the benefits of RAI therapy are less clear for people with small cancers of the thyroid gland that do not seem to have spread, which can often be removed completely with surgery. This is so your doctor has a clear picture of your thyroid. This might be on the day of your treatment or a few days or weeks before. This is because the radioactive iodine from the drink or capsule is absorbed into your body and picked up by the thyroid cancer cells, even if they have spread to other parts of the body.

The radiation then destroys the cancer cells. This is known as targeted radiotherapy because the treatment goes straight to the cancer and has very little effect on healthy cells in the body. Radioactive iodine can be attached to a chemical called MIBG — meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine. MIBG is taken up by some types of cancer, including:. Radioactive iodine attached to MIBG can be used in scans to diagnose these tumours.

It is also used to treat these tumour types. Radioactive iodine treatment can make you radioactive for a few days after treatment.

Any radioactive iodine that is not absorbed by the thyroid cancer cells leaves your body in your sweat and urine. You need to drink plenty of fluids during your treatment. Importantly, once you have been treated with RAI, regular medical follow-up is lifelong. RAI, whether I or I, should never be used in a patient who is pregnant or nursing. Breastfeeding must be stopped at least 6 weeks before administration of I treatment and should not be restarted after administration of RAI, but can be safely done after future pregnancies.

Also, pregnancy should be put off until at least 6 — 12 months after I RAI treatment since the ovaries are exposed to radiation after the treatment and to ensure that thyroid hormone levels are normal and stable prior to pregnancy. There is no clear evidence that RAI leads to infertility. Men who receive RAI treatment for thyroid cancer may have decreased sperm counts and temporary infertility for periods of roughly two years.

Sperm banking is an option in a patient who is expected to need several doses of RAI for thyroid cancer. For information on thyroid patient support organizations, please visit the Patient Support Links section on the ATA website at www. Radioactive Iodine.