IODINATED COMPOUNDS IN THE SERUM, DISAPPEARANCE OF RADIOACTIVE IODINE FROM THE THYROID, AND CLINICAL RESPONSE IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH RADIOACTIVE IODINE*,
RICHARD S. BENUA, M.D., M.S. and
BROWN M. DOBYNS, M.D., PH.D.
The Department of Surgery, Western Reserve University School of Medicine, andCleveland City Hospital Cleveland, Ohio
THERE is general agreement that most of the organically boundradioiodine in the blood after therapeutic doses of I131 iscomprised of thyroxine. The presence of significant amountsof butanol-insoluble organic iodine, diiodotyrosine, monoiodotyrosine(1), and triiodothyronine (2, 3) has been reported. It is notdefinitely known whether the appearance of any one, or all ofthese compounds results from the effects of radiation on thethyroid gland. It is the purpose of this report of work in progressto describe studies dealing with possible relationships betweenthe iodinated compounds appearing in the serum, the rate ofdisappearance of the radioiodine from the thyroid, the amountsof radiation delivered to the gland, and the clinical responseto therapy.
METHODS: Chromatographic fractionations of serum radioiodine extractablein n-butanol were made after 34 therapeutic doses of I131 in31 patients. Most of the patients had Graves' disease, but 1with toxic nodular goiter, 1 with metastatic thyroid cancerfollowing surgical thyroidectomy, and 2 with thyroid remnantsfollowing surgery for thyroid cancer are included.
* Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Goiter Association,Boston, Mass., April 29-May 1, 1954.
This article will be included in the bound volume of the 1954"Transactions of the American Goiter Association" publishedby Charles C Thomas, Publisher, which will be available forpurchase early in 1955.
Aided by a Grant-in-Aid from the Atomic Energy Commission andthe American Cancer Society.
and
BROWN M. DOBYNS, M.D., PH.D.
Aided by a Grant-in-Aid from the Atomic Energy Commission and the American Cancer Society. 
Research Fellow of the American Cancer Society.