title: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma following radioactive iodine therapy for graves' disease.
abstract: Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy has been used as a treatment option for Graves' disease, and it has been widely accepted to be safe. On the other hand, some evidence suggests that RAI therapy is possibly associated with a small increased risk of thyroid cancer. Herein, we report a rare case of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) associated with Graves' disease, following RAI treatment. A 42-year-old woman had been diagnosed with Graves' disease and although she was treated with an antithyroid drug, she remained in a hyperthyroid state, which led to two RAI treatments. More than 10 years later, the patient revisited our clinic due to hoarseness, dysphagia, and dyspnea, which had lasted for 2 months. Neck computed tomography suggested thyroid carcinoma and a lymph node biopsy showed metastatic papillary carcinoma. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and was finally diagnosed as having an ATC. It is not clear if the occurrence of ATC reported here was influenced by the RAI therapy or alternatively, it may only represent the delayed recognition of a rare change in the natural history of Graves' disease. Nevertheless, this report is worthwhile since it presents a very rare case of ATC that occurred eleven years after the RAI therapy for Graves' disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Hwa
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang Yoon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Seop
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sin Gon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Graves disease; Radioactive iodine therapy; Thyroid cancer, anaplastic