Prophylactic effect of pilocarpine on acute sialadenitis following radioactive iodine therapy in thyroid cancer patients.

Our aim was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic pilocarpine on acute salivary symptoms after radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. We enrolled 88 patients (76 women and 12 men; mean age: 47 years; range: 20-74 years) with differentiated thyroid cancer who received RAI. Patients were divided into pilocarpine (51 patients) and control (37 patients) groups. Pilocarpine was given orally, at a dose of 5 mg three times a day, from 2 days before and 12 days after RAI therapy. Symptoms and signs of acute sialadenitis within 3 months of RAI therapy were recorded. During the 3 months after RAI therapy, 13 of the 88 patients (14.7%) developed acute symptomatic sialadenitis (swelling or pain of salivary glands). Acute salivary symptoms were reported by 4 (7.8%) and 9 (24.3%) patients in the pilocarpine and control groups, respectively. Acute salivary symptoms were less frequent in the pilocarpine than control group ( = 0.04), but did not differ by age, sex, or RAI dose ( = 0.3357, = 0.428, and = 0.2792). Pilocarpine reduced the likelihood of acute sialadenitis after RAI therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.