Abstract
Purpose: Postoperative thyroid remnant radioablation therapy is necessary to reduce the recurrence and mortality rates as well as to prepare the patients for a proper long term surveillance of well-differentiated thyroid cancers. The radiation safety rules of the government require the patient to be isolated in a hospital if the expected radiation exposure to the family members would be greater than 5 mSv (500 mRem). The purpose was to measure the radiation received by the family members of patients who received large doses of NaI-131. Material and Methods: We have administered 12 therapy doses ranging from 3.70-5.55 GBq (100 to 150 mCi) to 11 patients, and released them immediately if they met the radiation safety criteria. Informed consent was obtained from the subjects prior to the therapy, and each of them agreed to follow written radiation safety instructions. TLD badges were used to measure the radiation dose received by the family members and the room adjacent to the patient's bed room during the first 72 hours. Results: The average dose received by the family members who spent the most time in the closest distance with the patients was 0.04 mSv with a range of 0.01-0.17 mSv. Even the highest dose was only about 3% of the limit set by the government. The average radiation dose to the outer wall of the patient's room was 0.15 mSv. Conclusion: It is concluded that I-131 ablation therapy can be administered to outpatients safely to thyroid cancer patients who meet the established radiation safety criteria and follow the instructions.
목적: 이 연구에서는 갑상선 암 수술 후 방사선요오드-131 치료를 받은 환자가 방사선 안전 퇴원 기준에 따라 즉시 퇴원 했을 때 환자의 가족이 받는 방사선량을 측정하여 정부의 허용범위와 비교하고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법: 의사가 설명한 방사선 안전지침을 이해하고 그대로 준수하기로 동의한 11명의 외래 환자에게 3.70 - 5.55 GBq의 NaI-131을 투여하고 가족과 환자가 생활하는 방 주변의 방사선량을 측정하였다. 결과: 환자의 가족이 받은 최대 방사선량은 정부의 허용범위 보다 훨씬 적은(5% 이내) 것으로 나타났다. 결론: 본 연구자들은 외래환자 I-131 치료가 안전하다는 것을 확인하였다. 따라서 외래환자 I-131 치료를 통해 격리 시설부족으로 인한 치료지연을 줄일 수 있고, 앞으로 갑상선 암환자 치료 관리에 도움을 줄 수 있을 것으로 확신한다. 또한 환자와 정부의 의료비용 절감 효과도 기대된다.