iodine-avid
Describing thyroid tissue or tumors that actively concentrate radioactive iodine, making them suitable for radioiodine therapy.
Full Definition
Iodine-avid refers to the property of thyroid follicular cells and well-differentiated thyroid cancers to uptake and concentrate iodine through the sodium-iodide symporter. This characteristic is essential for the efficacy of radioactive iodine therapy in thyroid cancer treatment. Loss of iodine avidity often indicates tumor dedifferentiation and is associated with more aggressive disease behavior. Radioiodine whole-body scans can demonstrate iodine-avid metastases that may not be visible on conventional imaging.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from iodine-refractory disease, which specifically refers to previously avid lesions that lose uptake.
In Context
- "The pulmonary metastases were confirmed to be iodine-avid on the post-therapy whole-body scan." — Nuclear medicine report
- "Loss of iodine-avid uptake in the tumor bed suggested dedifferentiation requiring alternative treatment approaches." — Multidisciplinary conference notes