Abstract

Letter to Editor

“Thyroid”: Letter to the Editor, Radioactive Iodine: A Living History

Barbara Hertz*

Published: 07 March, 2024 | Volume 8 - Issue 1 | Pages: 001-002

The history of the origin of the medical uses of Radioiodine (RAI) has been compromised by false narratives as recently as June 2023 in the “Thyroid “article “Radioactive Iodine: A Living History”. Primary sources document Dr. Saul Hertz (1905 - 1950) as solely conceiving of the medical uses of RAI, being the first and foremost to develop the experimental data, bringing RAI from bench to bedside, and extending the use of radionuclides to diagnose and/or treat cancer and other conditions. Dr Hertz predicted and worked toward conquering cancer with other radionuclides. Saul Hertz overcame the racism of his time, a world war interrupting his first clinical study, a strong pushback from the surgeons, and unethical medical publishing practices. Today, Nuclear Medicine, Radiopharmacy, Medical Physics, and other specialties are collaborating and actively building on Saul Hertz’s enduring foundational work. 

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jro.1001058 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

Nuclear medicine; Theranostics; Oncology

References

  1. Daniels GH, Ross DS. Radioactive Iodine: A Living History. Thyroid. 2023 Jun;33(6):666-673. doi: 10.1089/thy.2022.0344. PMID: 37307104.
  2. Hertz B. Hertz S. (1905–1950) Discovers the Medical Uses of Radioactive Iodine: The First Targeted Cancer Therapy. Thyroid Cancer - Advances in Diagnosis and Therapy. InTech; 2016. DOI: 10.5772/64609
  3. Hertz B, Watabe T, Baum RP. Celebrating 80 years anniversary of radioiodine for use in thyroid cancer and perspectives for theranostics. Ann Nucl Med. 2022 Dec;36(12):1007-1009. doi: 10.1007/s12149-022-01806-9. Epub 2022 Nov 8. PMID: 36346502.
  4. Hertz S. Archives. Greenwich, CT 06830 assessed February 27,2024.
  5. Fullmer T, Cabanillas ME, Zafereo M. Novel Therapeutics in Radioactive Iodine-Resistant Thyroid Cancer. Front. Endocrinol. Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology. 15 July 2021; 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.720723
  6. Greenspan BS, Hofman MS, Buscombe J. Commentary on "Radioactive Iodine: A Living History". J Nucl Med. 2024 Mar 1;65(3):495. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.123.267016. PMID: 38176715.
  7. Hospital MG. Honoring the Legacy of Saul Hertz and the Medical Uses of Radioiodine. 2021. https://www.massgeneral.org/news/hotline/honoring-the-legacy-of-sau-hertz-and-the-medical-uses-of-radioiodine

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