Cobalt radiation induced thyroid cancer & other health issues

Posted by debdoc101 @debdoc101, Dec 11, 2022

Many Baby Boomers received Cobalt radiation in the 1950s. I was 4 years old and received Cobalt to shrink my tonsils. When I was 9 years old, I developed Thyroid Cancer with metastasis to my cervical lymph nodes. Had surgical removal and was cured. In my early 60s I began having odd symptoms that have been related to the decay of the Cobalt radiation that received as a child. Many symptoms that are quality of life impacting still popping up.
Any other boomers with late Cobalt effects? We were radiated for acne, thymus, tonsils, and feet. I am 70 now and am aging very quickly. I am a Physician and can find no data on this late effect but thousands of us were irradiated. There are more victims out there. Thanks.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Thyroid Cancer Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 12, 2022

Welcome @debdoc101, I moved your message to the Thyroid Cancer group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/thyroid-cancer/

As well as the Aging Well group: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/aging-well/

Fellow members @sueblue @ltecato have talked about radiation-induced late side effects and may have more to add.

Deb, this 1999 paper echoes your experience.
- Thyroid Carcinomas After Irradiation for a First Cancer During Childhood https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1105656

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 12, 2022

Hello @debdoc101, I would like to add my welcome along with @colleenyoung and others. While you wait for members to share their experience, I thought I would share this 2017 article that discusses radiation induced thyroid cancer in case you haven't seen it.
-- Radiation and Thyroid Cancer:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454824/
Have you tried searching PubMed to see if you can find a related study? Here's a link that shows the search results for "childhood radiation induced thyroid cancer": https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=childhood+radiation+induced+thyroid+cancer&sort=date&filter=simsearch2.ffrft

Another good search engine for finding the latest medical research is Google Scholar. Here's a link with search results for the same phrase using Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C24&as_ylo=2022&q=childhood+radiation+induced+thyroid+cancer&btnG=

debdoc101 | @debdoc101 | Dec 12, 2022

In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @debdoc101, I would like to add my welcome along with @colleenyoung and others. While you..." + (show)

Thank you. I am most interested in the late effects of the Cobalt that was used in the early 1950s on a multitude of children for non-pathological reasons.
Thymus, acne, tonsils, feet for shoe size determination…
Thank you for your reply. Will go to the links you shared.

dlc1953 | @dlc1953 | Jun 29 1:01pm

I had Cobalt treatments in the 50’s for burn scarring on my upper chest, right below my neck. (Work was done at CHOP and Dr C Everett Koop who became the US General Surgeon) I think that these were in the early stages of using this therapy. I was located by CHOP about 20 years later to be tested for Thyroid Cancer. I was OK. (Don’t know if I ever need to be retested). I ended yo with a Meningioma. Through research I found out that they were happening to people who had Cobalt treatments in the 50’s, usually for head and/neck issues. My scars are about an inch under my neck and I was wondering if the tumor was from that. Apparently it was there for many, many years before it was discovered. I understand that Cobalt treatments were stopped and the only thing that they use Cobalt for is Gamma Knife procedures. (Which I had to remove the tumor or keep it from growing). I’ll have my 6 month checkup in September. (2024).