Researchers have recently found an aggressive form of thyroid cancer associated with exposure to radioactive iodine. In the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, over 10,000 children and adolescents were exposed to radiation.  Shortly after the accident, measurements of radiation poisoning were low, and after 20 years, researchers have found that thyroid radiation had increased significantly, linking to a much more aggressive tumor.

Studies have shown that exposures to radioactive iodine increases the risk of thyroid cancer, and frequent screening is necessary because of the aggressiveness of these high risk cancers.  Full article.

In order to care for patients with thyroid tumors or neck masses, the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery has recently recruited Jonathan George, MPH, MD, who is a specialist concentrating his practice on thyroid cancer surgery and other head and neck oncologic surgery.  Dr. George trained at UCSF in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery before completing a fellowship in advanced head and neck oncologic surgery at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas.  Dr. George’s clinical focus on head and neck endocrine surgery allows him to bring a high degree of knowledge and expertise to the treatment of patients who have thyroid tumors.  Of course, this includes people who are at greater risk for thyroid cancer including people who have a history of radiation exposure.