How would you follow patients with differentiated thyroid cancer that no longer picks up iodine after thyroidectomy and RAI, and have thyroglobulin antibodies?
If a patient had a recurrence that was pathologically proven despite negative idodine scans, what imaging scans would you follow up with for surveillance? Ultrasound? PET?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
The presence of antibodies makes measuring the thyroglobulin level essentailly inaccurate. PET imaging may have a role though clear data on its utlity is limited (and it's expensive). Physical exams and Ultrasonography is the best way of monitoring the disease state from a surveillance p...