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Treatment and follow-up of low-risk patients with thyroid cancer

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 7, pages 625–628 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

The postoperative administration of radioiodine can be avoided in low-risk patients with undetectable TSH-stimulated serum thyroglobulin and no lymph-node metastases detected at surgery. Sensitive methods for serum thyroglobulin determination can be used to avoid TSH stimulation 9–12 months after surgery in low-risk patients who have an undetectable serum thyroglobulin on levothyroxine treatment; the role of these sensitive assays in the period immediately after surgery needs to be established by further studies. Finally, a low activity of radioiodine (1.1 GBq) should be administered selectively in low-risk patients receiving levothyroxine treatment following injections of recombinant human TSH. These modifications of current protocols will improve the quality of life of patients, potentially decrease morbidity and considerably reduce the cost of treatment and follow-up.

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Figure 1: Algorithm for the administration of radioiodine in patients with thyroid cancer: modifications of the European consensus.2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy and University Paris-Sud, 39 Rue Camille Desmoulins, Villejuif, 94805, France

    Martin Schlumberger, Isabelle Borget, Camila Nascimento, Maryse Brassard & Sophie Leboulleux

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  1. Martin Schlumberger
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  2. Isabelle Borget
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  4. Maryse Brassard
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  5. Sophie Leboulleux
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All authors researched the data for the article, provided a substantial contribution to discussions of the content, and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission. M. Schlumberger wrote the article.

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Correspondence to Martin Schlumberger.

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Competing interests

M. Schlumberger declares an association with the following company: Genzyme (speakers bureau, grant/research support). The other authors declare no competing interests.

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Schlumberger, M., Borget, I., Nascimento, C. et al. Treatment and follow-up of low-risk patients with thyroid cancer. Nat Rev Endocrinol 7, 625–628 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2011.133

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