Adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in high risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer

External beam radiotherapy in differentiated thyroid carcinoma: A systematic review

“…Eight studies were deemed suitable for quantitative analysis because of their ability to fulfil the eligibility criteria, inclusion and comparison of EBRT and non‐EBRT treatment cohorts, and comprehensive reporting of locoregional control outcomes . These comprised 2388 patients with a male to female ratio of 1:3.2 and an average age of 47.3 years.…”

Radiotherapy in well‐differentiated thyroid cancer: is it underutilized?

“…At present, due to the lack of prospective data and mixed results of retrospective series, the role and indications for EBRT remain controversial, with EBRT still infrequently utilized . In high‐risk patients, it has not been clearly defined whether adjuvant treatment with RAI alone is sufficient .…”

“…It has been hypothesized by Chen et al . that a bystander effect is required for RAI to deliver a tumouricidal dose . It was suggested that microscopic residual disease alone would not be able to sufficiently concentrate RAI to achieve this.…”

“…The current role of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in well‐differentiated thyroid carcinomas remains controversial given the conflicting and retrospective nature of published studies . These studies are limited by inherent biases including imbalances due to differences in patient selection, variation in radiation dose, treatment volumes and techniques and publication bias.…”

Results of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in Patients with Well Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Experience of King Fahad Medical City

“…For these patients surgery with or without radioactive iodine 131 I therapy remains as a standard curative option [3]. The role of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has remain controversial; however recent studies recommend its use in patients with extrathyroid extention or residual disease and patients with age above 50 years [4,5]. However, irregular shape of target volume and multiple nodal sites pose problems to deliver radiation dose beyond 50 Gy by conventional and conformal radiation therapy techniques, which results poor locoregional control and low survival rates [6,7].…”