Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Sep 24:4:126.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-015-0106-3.

The effects of iodine blocking following nuclear accidents on thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and benign thyroid nodules: design of a systematic review

Steffen Dreger  1 , Manuela Pfinder  2   3   4 , Lara Christianson  5 , Stefan K Lhachimi  6   7   8 , Hajo Zeeb  9   10
Affiliations

The effects of iodine blocking following nuclear accidents on thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and benign thyroid nodules: design of a systematic review

Steffen Dreger et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: One of the most efficient radiation protection methods to reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes in case of accidental radioactive iodine release is the administration of potassium iodine (KI). Although KI administration is recommended by WHO's guidelines for iodine prophylaxis following nuclear accidents and is also widely implemented in most national guidelines, the scientific evidence for the guidelines lacks as the guidelines are mostly based on expert opinions and recommendations. Therefore, this study will provide evidence by systematically reviewing the effects of KI administration in case of accidental radioactive iodine release on thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and benign nodules.

Methods: We will apply standard systematic review methodology for the identification of eligible studies, data extraction, assessment of risk of biases, heterogeneity, and data synthesis. The electronic database search will be conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed) and EMBASE, and covers three search blocks with terms related to the health condition, intervention, and occurrence/location. We have no date or language restrictions, but restrictions to humans only. We will include studies comparing the effects of KI administration on thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and benign thyroid nodules in a population exposed to radioactive iodine release. The quality of the studies will be graded. If feasible, a meta-analysis will be conducted.

Discussion: This proposed systematic review will update the existing WHO guideline from 1999. New evidence on the efficacy of KI administration to reduce thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and benign thyroid nodules in the event of an accidental release of radioactive iodine to the environment will provide the basis for an update of the WHO guideline for iodine prophylaxis following nuclear accidents.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015024340.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Braverman ER, Blum K, Loeffke B, Baker R, Kreuk F, Yang SP, et al. Managing terrorism or accidental nuclear errors, preparing for iodine-131 emergencies: a comprehensive review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(4):4158–200. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110404158. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yoshida S, Ojino M, Ozaki T, Hatanaka T, Nomura K, Ishii M, et al. Guidelines for iodine prophylaxis as a protective measure: information for physicians. Japan Med Assoc J. 2014;57(3):113–23. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Preston DL, Ron E, Tokuoka S, Funamoto S, Nishi N, Soda M, et al. Solid cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors: 1958–1998. Radiat Res. 2007;168(1):1–64. doi: 10.1667/RR0763.1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Likhtarev I, Sobolev B, Kairo I, Tronko N, Bogdanova T, Oleinic V, et al. Thyroid cancer in the Ukraine. Nature. 1995;375(6530):365. doi: 10.1038/375365a0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kazakov V, Demidchik E, Astakhova L. Thyroid cancer after Chernobyl. Nature. 1992;359(6390):21. doi: 10.1038/359021a0. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms