Effect of radiotherapy on the thyroid of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer / 中南大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the effect of radiotherapy on the thyroid of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.@*METHODS@#Thyroid dynamic imaging was performed on 51 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer who had the metastasis of the jugular lymph node before and after the radiotherapy. The peak time of the thyroid artery perfusion and the constant K were obtained. The levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the blood serum were measured at the same time.@*RESULTS@#The peak time of the left and right thyroid artery perfusion before the radiotherapy was (14.5+/-2.1)s and (15.1+/-1.9)s, respectively, while that after the radiotherapy was (19.3+/-3.2)s and (20.2+/-3.5)s, respectively. There was significant difference between the pre- and post-radiotherapy (P0.05, respectively].@*CONCLUSION@#The peak time of the thyroid artery perfusion and the constant K which reflect blood stream status after the radiotherapy are all damaged in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer. The level of FT3 and FT4 in the blood serum is dropped but the TSH level has no obvious change.