Health status of Greek thyroid cancer patients after radioiodine administration compared to a demographically matched general population sample.

The impact of radioiodine-131 ((131)I) treatment on thyroid cancer patients' quality of life is controversial. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 60 patients aged 18-73 years old who had recently underwent near total thyroidectomy due to papillary thyroid cancer and were scheduled for (131)I treatment. On admission to our department, prior to (131)I administration patients underwent clinical and laboratory investigation including routine clinical biochemistry, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroglobulin (Tg) measurements. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was estimated by the SF-36 Health Survey a generic instrument which consisted from eight scales (four for physical and four for mental health). After (131)I administration patients were discharged and approximately 6 months later they were re-evaluated. Our results showed that HRQoL in thyroid cancer patients receiving (131)I treatment is independent of age/gender and thyroid cancer-related variables. All SF-36 scales significantly improved six months after administration (P<0.05). Compared to Greek general population, before (131)I administration all scales were significantly lower (P<0.05). Six months post (131)I administration, scales were significantly lower for physical functioning (P=0.02), physical role (P=0.01), social functioning (P=0.03) and emotional role limitations (P=0.04), whereas the remaining SF-36 scales were comparable to the general population. In conclusion, hypothyroidism and anxiety for the outcome of their disease before (131)I treatment exert a negative impact on thyroid cancer patients. Quality of life improvement post (131)I is mainly attributed to the resumption of euthyroidism and familiarization with treatment and followup procedures rather than (131)I treatment itself. There was no significant difference between patients receiving lower (2220-3700MBq) and higher (3700-7400MBq) dosage.