Cancer Risk with Radioactive Iodine Treatment of Patients with Hyperthyroidism: Meta-Analysis

Radioactive iodine (RAI) has long been standard therapy for patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves disease, toxic multinodular goiter, or toxic adenoma. Despite theoretical concerns about excess risk for cancer, almost no studies have validated this worry; however, at least one study showed a relation between cancer-related mortality and RAI dose. In this meta-analysis, researchers explored these associations in 12 observational studies (480,000 patients) in which adjusted comparisons were made to the general population or hyperthyroid patients who were treated with non-RAI modalities.

The pooled incidence of all cancers was similar between RAI-treated and comparator groups; however, a modest but significant excess risk for thyroid canc…