Thyroid neoplasms after radiation therapy for adolescent acne vulgaris
E. Paloyan and A. M. Lawrence
There is a potential hazard of thyroid cancer after exposure to external
irradiation for the treatment of adolescent acne vulgaris. We noted a 60%
incidence of thyroid carcinoma among 20 patients with such a history, who
were operated on for thyroid nodules during a five-year period.
Eighty-three percent of the patients with carcinoma had either a follicular
or a mixed papillary-follicular carcinoma; 17% had a papillary carcinoma;
33% had regional node metastases; none had evidence of distant metastases.
The interval between radiation exposure and thyroidectomy ranged from nine
to 41 years. This association of thyroid neoplasms and a prior history of
radiation for acne vulgaris may be coincidental and therefore remains to be
proved by retrospective surveys of large numbers of treated patients with
appropriate controls.