Re: acne treatments--does this sound familiar?

[Guest guest]

> I had a type of acne treatment in the late 60s that consisted of

> putting on Retin A and sitting in an ultraviolet light box. My

> husband thinks this is how I got my thyroid cancer. Has anyone read

> anything about this type of treatment.

>

Hi, -

As far as I know, the only things they KNOW causes thyroid cancer are

x-ray treatments and exposure to radioactivity from something like

living downwind from a nuclear plant. I don't believe there's been

any link to either Retin A or ultraviolet light. Most of us will

probably never know what actually caused our cancer. That can be

frustrating, because when something like this happens, I think it's

normal to want something or someone to blame.

Cheers,

Alisa

Currently - 140mcg Levoxyl

2/15/2002: Nodule found 2/27/2002: FNA

3/4/2002: Hysterectomy/oopherectomy-possible ovarian cancer - BENIGN!!

4/9/2002: TT - Stage 2 pap 2.5 x 2 x 1.6 cm nodule, dx Hashimotos

5/28/2002: WBS (2 mCi) and 100 mCi RAI --- 6/6/2002: WBS - No mets

12/16/02: WBS (5 mCi): clean scan - no thyroid tissue in body!!!

Age: 49 -- Location: near Seattle WA --- Check out my posts:

Radioactive Girl - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/19472

My LID - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15872

My RAI - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15873

LID thoughts, tips, ideas -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/25430

[Guest guest]

> I had a type of acne treatment in the late 60s that consisted of

> putting on Retin A and sitting in an ultraviolet light box. My

> husband thinks this is how I got my thyroid cancer. Has anyone read

> anything about this type of treatment.

>

Hi, -

As far as I know, the only things they KNOW causes thyroid cancer are

x-ray treatments and exposure to radioactivity from something like

living downwind from a nuclear plant. I don't believe there's been

any link to either Retin A or ultraviolet light. Most of us will

probably never know what actually caused our cancer. That can be

frustrating, because when something like this happens, I think it's

normal to want something or someone to blame.

Cheers,

Alisa

Currently - 140mcg Levoxyl

2/15/2002: Nodule found 2/27/2002: FNA

3/4/2002: Hysterectomy/oopherectomy-possible ovarian cancer - BENIGN!!

4/9/2002: TT - Stage 2 pap 2.5 x 2 x 1.6 cm nodule, dx Hashimotos

5/28/2002: WBS (2 mCi) and 100 mCi RAI --- 6/6/2002: WBS - No mets

12/16/02: WBS (5 mCi): clean scan - no thyroid tissue in body!!!

Age: 49 -- Location: near Seattle WA --- Check out my posts:

Radioactive Girl - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/19472

My LID - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15872

My RAI - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15873

LID thoughts, tips, ideas -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/25430

[Guest guest]

acne treatments--does this sound familiar?

I had a type of acne treatment in the late 60s that consisted of

putting on Retin A and sitting in an ultraviolet light box. My

husband thinks this is how I got my thyroid cancer. Has anyone read

anything about this type of treatment.

Ultraviolet light therapy was commonly given to acne patients, but I am

surprised you had concomittant RetinA. Were you in Pennsylvania? While the most

likely lamp used at that time was the less penetrating UVB type, dosimetry was

frequently inconsistent because no spectrophotometers were readily available to

calibrate output and treatment doseage (exposure time). OTOH, lamps could have

been outputting UVA, which penetrates deeper than UVB, but still is confined to

the dermis, barring extenuating circumstances. While it may, therefore, seem

that there is no logical step to implicate UV radiation from Acne treatments as

you describe, perhaps a large epidemiologic study would show differently (maybe

it has already been done). We now know, for example, that Langerhans

cells,which are located in the skin are altered by UV exposure and may have

systemic effects.

A side bar to the Retin A and thyroid cancer issue is the use of Acutane as a

n adjunct to RAI, the former being given to enhance the effect of the latter.

Anyone haveknowledge of this concept/application?

Now,Grenz ray treatment was also in vogue for acne and that is an ionizing

form of radiation, which has been implicated in various malignancies, in both

patients and operators. Some practioners probably were using that modality for

acne,especially recalcitrant cases, during the decade you cited.

Thank you very much

Fury

[Guest guest]

acne treatments--does this sound familiar?

I had a type of acne treatment in the late 60s that consisted of

putting on Retin A and sitting in an ultraviolet light box. My

husband thinks this is how I got my thyroid cancer. Has anyone read

anything about this type of treatment.

Ultraviolet light therapy was commonly given to acne patients, but I am

surprised you had concomittant RetinA. Were you in Pennsylvania? While the most

likely lamp used at that time was the less penetrating UVB type, dosimetry was

frequently inconsistent because no spectrophotometers were readily available to

calibrate output and treatment doseage (exposure time). OTOH, lamps could have

been outputting UVA, which penetrates deeper than UVB, but still is confined to

the dermis, barring extenuating circumstances. While it may, therefore, seem

that there is no logical step to implicate UV radiation from Acne treatments as

you describe, perhaps a large epidemiologic study would show differently (maybe

it has already been done). We now know, for example, that Langerhans

cells,which are located in the skin are altered by UV exposure and may have

systemic effects.

A side bar to the Retin A and thyroid cancer issue is the use of Acutane as a

n adjunct to RAI, the former being given to enhance the effect of the latter.

Anyone haveknowledge of this concept/application?

Now,Grenz ray treatment was also in vogue for acne and that is an ionizing

form of radiation, which has been implicated in various malignancies, in both

patients and operators. Some practioners probably were using that modality for

acne,especially recalcitrant cases, during the decade you cited.

Thank you very much

Fury

[Guest guest]

I also had acne treatments with sulfur and sitting in utraviolet rays but mine

were done earlier than the 60's. I have a twin sister. We both had the

treatments at the same time. I got the thyroid cancer but she didn't. I don't

know if this had anything to do with it or not.

Joan tt pap.ca

RAI x 3 = 489 mCi

acne treatments--does this sound familiar?

I had a type of acne treatment in the late 60s that consisted of

putting on Retin A and sitting in an ultraviolet light box. My

husband thinks this is how I got my thyroid cancer. Has anyone read

anything about this type of treatment.