Postoperative external irradiation in thyroid carcinoma: A clinical experience of 20 treated patients and literature radiotherapy review

Abstract

A retrospective review is presented of 20 evaluable patients who underwent surgical resection or biopsy for limited stage thyroid carcinoma at two institutions between 1963 and 1983. The majority had external radiotherapy to the whole neck and upper mediastinum and the total dose given varied from 3,800 to 6,000 rads. For group I (microscopic residual disease), 81.8% (9/11 patients) local control was observed during a follow-up period of 2-75 months with adjuvant postoperative irradiation compared to surgery alone, 14.2% (1/7 patients) local control; 75% (9/12 patients) are alive and well. In group II (gross residual disease), local control was 25% (2/8 patients) and the survival was 14 and 60 months, respectively, with external radiotherapy. The beneficial external irradiation effects in terms of local control and survival even in some patients with gross unresectable disease are reiterated from this small series. A literature review summary of external radiotherapy results is also presented.