[Thyroid function alteration in patients with radiation therapy of the neck].

Introduction: The aim of this study is to determine whether the incidence of hypothyroidism in patients with Head and Neck Cancer who have undergone neck radiotherapy justifies the inclusion of thyroid function monitoring in the pre-operative and follow-up evaluation protocols.

Material And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with all the patients seen in the Oncology Section of the Otorhinolaryngology Department in the "Hospital de Clínicas", Montevideo, Uruguay, from January 1970 to May 2008. A total of 550 case records were analyzed.