Alterações agudas da tireoide após radioterapia não dirigida à glândula em crianças e adolescentes, e dosimetria in vivo para a tireoide de diferentes regiões corporais irradiadas

Purpose: To assess acute changes in thyroid function and volume in children and adolescents undergoing external radiation therapy for a variety of non-thyroid cancers. Methods and Materials: The study sample comprised 31 children and adolescents undergoing radiation therapy of various body areas in which the thyroid was outside the main beam. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4), free thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3), anti-thyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies and thyroglobulin (Tg) were measured before radiation therapy, on the last day of irradiation, and 1 month and 3 months after the end of radiation therapy. Ultrasound and 6-hour and 24-hour 131I uptake were also performed before and after treatment. The scattered dose to the thyroid region was estimated with a treatment planning system (TPS) or measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). Results: The median radiation dose scattered to the thyroid was 296.6 cGy (IQR 16.7–1709.0). Levels of TSH (P=0.575), T4 (P=0.950), fT4 (P=0.510), T3 (P=0.842), Tg (P=0.620), and anti-TPO antibodies (P=0.546) were statistically similar at all four points in time. Younger subjects had higher T4, T3 and Tg levels, and T4 was highest in girls. There were no differences between pre- and post radiotherapy thyroid volume and 131I uptake (P=0.692 and 0.92, respectively). Conclusion: The radiation doses scattered to the thyroid in this sample were not associated with acute changes in thyroid function or volume. More sensitive methods may be required to ascertain whether acute injury to the follicular epithelium occurs with lower radiation doses