Brain metastasis from differentiated thyroid carcinoma responding to radioiodine therapy

Articles in Press

Document Type : Case report

Authors

1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

2 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Global Center for Biomedical Science and Engineering, Faculty of

3 Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Department of Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging Center, Second State Central Hospital, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

4 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

5 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

6 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Global Center for Biomedical Science and

10.22038/aojnmb.2025.86276.1618

Abstract

Brain metastasis (BM) occurs only in about 1% of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) cases. Although DTC generally has a good prognosis, once BM develops, the mortality rate significantly increases up to 78%. BM is usually treated by surgical resection or external radiotherapy, whereas radioactive iodine therapy (RAIT) using I-131 is much less often chosen because BM often shows poor uptake of I-131. In addition, even in case I-131 accumulates in the BM, RAIT could cause adverse effects such as brain hemorrhage and cerebral edema.

We present a case of BM from DTC that showed response to I-131 therapy with no severe adverse effects. The brain lesion was very small and asymptomatic, and was only found after a post-therapy I-131 scintigraphy. There are a few case reports where BM was cured by RAIT with little to no side effects. We theorize that BM that is small in size, asymptomatic and show I-131 accumulation could be successfully treated with RAIT.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 April 2025

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics