Spotlight on the Association of Radioactive Iodine Treatment With Cancer Mortality in Patients With Hyperthyroidism is Keeping the Highest Risk From Antithyroid Drugs in the Blind Spot. (October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tulchinsky, Mark; Brill, A. Bertrand
• Is Part Of: Clinical nuclear medicine. Volume 44:Number 10(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Subjects: radioactive iodine -- hyperthyroidism -- neoplasms, radiation-induced -- iodine radioisotopes/adverse effects/therapeutic use -- retrospective studies; Nuclear medicine -- Periodicals; Radioisotope scanning -- Periodicals; Nuclear Medicine -- Periodicals; 616.07575
• DOI: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002792
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0363-9762

Abstract

Abstract : Abstract: July 1, 2019, JAMA Internal Medicine released online an article authored by Kitahara et al entitled "Association of radioactive iodine treatment with cancer mortality in patients with hyperthyroidism." The Altmetric Attention Score, a global indicator of interest from lay public and colleagues, skyrocketed to 223 by July 7, placing the article in the top 5% of all scored reports. The overall perception of death from cancer risk associated with 131 I is inflated and not supported by evidence. As co-authors of this article, we offer previously unpublished data and analysis that (1) disputes clinical significance of the associated risk from 131 I and (2) shows, again, that antithyroid drugs carry a statistically significant and a much more obvious cancer death risk.