Thyroid carcinoma after radiation therapy for adolescent acne vulgaris

ROENTGEN THERAPY has been used for many years in patients with adolescent acne vulgaris. Without proper shielding of the neck the thyroid gland may receive undetermined amounts of irradiation. The potential carcinogenic effect on the thyroid has largely been ignored by the therapist in this group of patients, although the association of thyroid cancer and irradiation to the thymus in infancy is well recognized. The purpose of this report is to call attention to the possible hazard of thyroid cancer after radiation therapy for acne vulgaris. Report of Cases Five adult patients with thyroid cancer, in whom it was possible to obtain a history of radiation therapy for acne vulgaris in adolescence, have been seen. Case 1 (UH 267437).— A 24-year-old woman was admitted in October 1949 because of progressive, painless swelling in the right side of the neck for eight months. She had noted slight dysphagia for two weeks.