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Took Radioactive Iodine Treatment. Noticed Dark Area On Neck And Chest. Are They Related?
Question: Hi I received diagnostic dose of radioactive iodine yesterday (1 year post-total thyroidectomy). I now see a dark area on my neck which is shaped like my thyroid and also going down toward my chest. Is this related to the iodine treatment?
Hi there.
Thank you for your query.
The area going down your chest can be a normal physiological uptake and secretion of iodine by your pharynx which is reflected in the scan. But the one in the neck is suspicious of any remnants of thyroid cancer, some cancerous tissues grown there or lymphnodes affected by the cancer acting as thyroid tissue with easy uptake of the radioiodine. If you could upload the image here (both anterior and posterior), it'll be easy to comment further.
I hope you have done your thyroglobulin levels also. Along with this scan you need to do serum thyroglobulin level as part of your follow up. Please let me know the value is you have already done.
Take both the reports to your Endocrinologist/ Oncologist and they will guide you further if recurrence or remnant tissue exist. The treatment will be therapeutic radio-iodine therapy if surgical excision is not supposed to be helpful.
I hope this helps you. Please get ack for any further query.
Thank you for your query.
The area going down your chest can be a normal physiological uptake and secretion of iodine by your pharynx which is reflected in the scan. But the one in the neck is suspicious of any remnants of thyroid cancer, some cancerous tissues grown there or lymphnodes affected by the cancer acting as thyroid tissue with easy uptake of the radioiodine. If you could upload the image here (both anterior and posterior), it'll be easy to comment further.
I hope you have done your thyroglobulin levels also. Along with this scan you need to do serum thyroglobulin level as part of your follow up. Please let me know the value is you have already done.
Take both the reports to your Endocrinologist/ Oncologist and they will guide you further if recurrence or remnant tissue exist. The treatment will be therapeutic radio-iodine therapy if surgical excision is not supposed to be helpful.
I hope this helps you. Please get ack for any further query.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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