Tonsil Irradiation and Risk of Thyroid and Other Cancers
A cohort of about 3,000 individuals who were irradiated during childhood for benign head and neck conditions at Michael Reese Hospital was assembled and monitored for the risk of thyroid and other cancers. The thyroid cancer recurrence rate was significantly lower in patients diagnosed at screening than routine medical care, however, the difference was limited to small tumors (smaller than 10 mm). Investigators also noted that the main factors for the excess of multiple tumors occurring in conjunction with thyroid cancers were radiation-related, rather than a more general increased host susceptibility or the clinical characteristics of the thyroid cancer.
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