PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Siegrid G. de Meer
AU  - Menno R. Vriens
AU  - Pierre M. Zelissen
AU  - Inne H. Borel Rinkes
AU  - Bart de Keizer
TI  - The Role of Routine Diagnostic Radioiodine Whole-Body Scintigraphy in Patients with High-Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
AID  - 10.2967/jnumed.110.080697
DP  - 2011 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 56--59
VI  - 52
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/52/1/56.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/52/1/56.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2011 Jan 01; 52
AB  - Follow-up diagnostic radioiodine whole-body scintigraphy (DxWBS) is still advised for high-risk patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the additional value of DxWBS to stimulated thyroglobulin measurement in high-risk patients. Methods: The results of DxWBS and thyroglobulin measurements performed 6–12 mo after surgery and radioiodine thyroid remnant ablation in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were retrospectively evaluated for 112 patients with high-risk features for recurrence (R3/T4 and N1). Results: One patient had an undetectable thyroglobulin level, with DxWBS results suggestive of cervical recurrence. DxWBS was found to be false-positive. Of the patients with detectable thyroglobulin levels, the DxWBS results were negative in 65 and positive in only 8. The 6 patients positive for thyroglobulin antibody had negative DxWBS results. The remaining patients had an undetectable thyroglobulin level and negative DxWBS results. Conclusion: Because undetectable stimulated thyroglobulin levels have a negative predictive value of 100%, DxWBS offers no information additional to recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone–stimulated thyroglobulin measurements in patients with high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer.