Breast cancer following iodine-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism

A retrospective cohort study of women treated for hyperthyroidism at the Mayo Clinic between 1946 and 1964 was conducted to determine if 1,005 women treated with iodine-131 (131I) were at increased risk of breast cancer compared with 2,141 women traced, and a response (death certificate or questionnaire) was received for 99% of the traced women. The average duration of follow-up was 15 years for the 131I-treated women and 21 years for women treated surgically. No increased risk of breast cancer was observed in the 131I-treated women (adjusted relative risk = 0.8). No patterns were found of increased breast cancer risk by age at first treatment, by time since treatment, or by total exposure to 131I. Failure to detect an increased risk of breast cancer in the 131I-treated women was attributed to the moderately low doses from 131I therapy and the relatively small number of exposed women. The study also failed to find any increased risk of breast cancer associated with hyperthyroidism.