[CME: Radioactive iodine therapy in thyroid cancer]

Differentiated thyroid carcinomas represent about 90% of all thyroid tumors and are divided in papillary and follicular carcinomas. Their prognosis is good, however, recurrences are not rare. Their ability to accumulate iodine is used for the radioactive iodine treatment. The aim of the postoperative radioactive iodine ablation therapy is the complete elimination of remnant thyroid cells and sensitive staging (Fig. 1). The recurrence rate decreases after a complete thyroid ablation. Furthermore, thyroglobulin can be used as a sensitive tumor marker. Radioactive iodine treatment by itself describes the therapy of metastases. An exception is the papillary microcarcinoma, which in general is treated by a lobectomy alone.