Undetectable or low (< 1 ng/ml) postsurgical thyroglobulin values do not rule out metastases in early stage differentiated thyroid cancer patients

41Citations
Citations of this article
23Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) work-up is based on (near) total-thyroidectomy plus thyroid remnant ablation (TRA) with 131-radioiodine in many patients, and long-life follow-up. 131I-post therapy whole body scan (pT-WBS) and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) are used in identifying metastatic patients. Some authors have evaluated the possibility of using post-surgical Tg (ps-Tg) values in deciding for or against TRA. The aim of our study was to verify the diagnostic accuracy of 131I-pTWBS and SPECT/CT imaging (post-therapeutic imaging) compared to serum Tg levels in detecting metastases in early stage of DTC patients. Results: Post-therapeutic imaging revealed metastases in 82 out of 570 (14.4%) patients. Metastases were successively confirmed by other diagnostic tools or by histology (sensitivity and PPV = 100%). Seventy-three out of 82 patients (90.2%) showed ps-Tg levels ≤1 ng/ml. In fifty-four per cent of patients, serum Tg levels at TRA remained ≤1 ng/ml. Conclusion: In conclusion, ps-Tg levels cannot be used in deciding for or against TRA. In early stage of DTC, post-therapeutic imaging (131I-pT-WBS and SPECT/CT) is an accurate method of detecting metastases, also in patients with stimulated serum Tg values ≤1 ng/ml Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 570 consecutive patients affected by pT1-pT3 DTC (F = 450, M = 120), referred to our Nuclear Medicine Units in the last five years to perform TRA after (near)-total-thyroidectomy.All patients underwent TRA 3-4 months after thyroid surgery either in euthyroid or in hypothyroid state. Serum Tg values evaluated in post-surgical period and at TRA were matched with post-therapeutic imaging results.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Campennì, A., Giovanella, L., Pignata, S. A., Vento, A., Alibrandi, A., Sturiale, L., … Baldari, S. (2018). Undetectable or low (< 1 ng/ml) postsurgical thyroglobulin values do not rule out metastases in early stage differentiated thyroid cancer patients. Oncotarget, 9(25), 17491–17500. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.24766

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free