Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of deuterium depleted water on gastroenteritis induced by 131I radiation in thyroid cancer treatment / 中国辐射卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of oral administration of deuterium depleted water on gastroenteritis induced by 131I radiation in thyroid cancer treatment. Methods Fifty patients with papillary thyroid cancer treated with 131I in the Department of Nuclear Medicine of Changshu No.2 People’s Hospital from May 2022 to February 2023 were divided into control group and experimental group (25 patients in each group). Data were continuously collected throughout the study duration. The control group was orally administrated omeprazole enteric-coated capsules and purified water at 660 mL tid for 5 days. The experimental group received the same basic treatment as the control group except that deuterium depleted water was used instead of purified water. The incidence and alleviation of 131I radiation-induced gastroenteritis were observed and compared between the two groups using the Fisher’s exact test and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results The number of gastroenteritis cases from day 1 to day 5 after 131I administration was 2 (8%), 5 (20%), 2 (8%), 1 (4%), and 0 (0%), respectively, in the experimental group, and 2 (8%), 8 (32%), 4 (16%), 3 (12%), and 1 (4%), respectively, in the control group. The incidence of gastroenteritis was significantly different between the two groups (χ2=4.064, P=0.044). After 5 days of treatment, the overall response rate of patients in the experimental group was 96%, which was significantly higher than 76% in the control group (χ2=9.105, P=0.025). Conclusion Oral administration of deuterium depleted water is effective in the relief of clinical symptoms of 131I radiation-induced gastroenteritis in thyroid cancer treatment. The clinical application of deuterium depleted water should be further investigated.