Comparison and evaluation of value of thymoglobulin level in serum and I-131 whole body scan (I-131 WBS) in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma [Persian]

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Research Institute for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

  This study was done in research institute of nuclear medicine from 1988-1992 for evaluation of the value of serum thyroglobulin level in comparison with 1-131 whole body scan (1-131 WBS) in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. 204 patients who had total or near total thyroidectomy treated with 1-131 were evaluated in this study. Out of 204 patients 136 did not have regional or distant metastases. 68 patients had recurrence and metastases in which 42 cases showed good correlation between hTG and 1-131 WBS. In 14 cases with recurrence and metastases only 1-131 WBS was diagnostic and in 12 cases hTG was diagnostic while 1-131 WBS was negative. With the help of other diagnostic modolities such as Tl-201, chest X-ray biopsy and repeated 1-131 WBS during 5 years of follow-up regional recurrence and metastases were diagnosed. Serum hTG level for diagnosis of recurrence and metastases hud a sensitivity of 79.4%, specificity 90.4% and accuracy of 86.8% while 1-131 WBS had sensitivity of 82.3%, accuracy of 94.1% and specificity of 100%.

Main Subjects