Graves' Disease Following Irradiation for Hodgkin's Disease
- Miljenko V. Pilepich, MD;
- Ivor Jackson, MD;
- John E. Munzenrider, MD;
- Rosalind S. Brown, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
THE THYROID gland is commonly included in the radiation field in patients with Hodgkin's disease treated with radiation therapy. The so-called mantle field routinely includes the neck. A substantial number of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, head and neck tumors, and breast carcinoma also receive neck irradiation.
The thyroid was traditionally considered a radioresistant organ. However, several reports on thyroid dysfunction following neck irradiation have appeared in recent years. Glatstein et al1 reported a 44% incidence of elevated serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration in patients with lymphomas who had lymphangiography and received neck irradiation. In 11% of these patients, clinical hypothyroidism or evidence of thyroid hypofunction (according to laboratory tests other than serum TSH determination) developed. Although the exact incidence and pathogenesis are not known, hypothyroidism is a recognized complication of thyroid irradiation.
Graves' disease following thyroid irradiation, manifested either as hyperthyroidism or ophthalmopathy, is not a well-recognized entity.
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