The Extra Risks Caused by Childhood Neck Irradiation
From the 1920's to the early 1970's, radiation was used to shrink
enlarged thymus glands, tonsils and adenoids, to clear up birth
marks and to treat acne and ringworm of the scalp. Several million
children in the U.S. received head and neck radiation with external
radiation or radium applicators. Initial indications of problems
arose in the late 1950's and this treatment was largely abandoned
during the 1960's. It was found to increase the risk of thyroid
tumors, including thyroid cancer. Later, it was found that it increased
the risk of other tumors. It is possible, but not certain, that
the treatment affects the functioning of the thyroid gland as well.
If you were one of these children, it is a good idea to find out
as much as you can about the specifics of your treatment, what it
was for and how much radiation you received and where. The medical
records department of the hospital where you were treated can sometimes
tell you about the dose and number of treatments, particularly if
you can supply the dates and the name of the doctor who prescribed
it.
What kinds of risks are we talking about? Your chances of developing
tumors and cancer at some time in your life are higher than if you
never had the radiation exposure. The amount by which your risk
increases depends on how much radiation you received and your age
when it occurred. The younger you were, the greater the risk. As
an example, the risk over your lifetime of developing thyroid cancer
would be several fold greater than usual if you were exposed to
a large amount of radiation at an especially young age.
A person who has been exposed to radiation is more likely to develop
thyroid nodules and those nodules have a greater chance of being
cancerous. This is why your doctor will probably want to biopsy
any nodule you develop, in order to exclude cancer.
There are other important organs in your neck that can react in
later years to the childhood irradiation. The parotid glands (the
"mumps" glands below your ears) can develop tumors. The
parathyroid glands located next to the thyroid may also develop
tumors leading to problems with calcium regulation and bone loss.
Also, benign tumors in the nervous system may develop. One common
type affects hearing and balance.
What should you do? If you find out that you did have childhood
radiation to your head and neck, you should make sure that your
doctor is aware of this extra risk in your background. Above all
make sure a thyroid and neck exam are part of your yearly physical
examination.
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