Preoperative Thyroglobulin Levels Research Articles

Pre-operative thyroglobulin measurement for thyroid cancer risk of recurrence and response to therapy

BackgroundThyroid cancer has an overall favorable prognosis, but no pre-operative biochemical marker has been shown to distinguish between low and high-risk disease or predict response to therapy. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 162 patients that underwent thyroid surgery for thyroid cancer between 2006 and 2022 in whom a pre-operative thyroglobulin level (Tg) was measured. We subdivided patients into low, intermediate and high-risk thyroid cancer and based on their response to therapy per ATA guidelines. ResultsWe showed that as pre-operative Tg level increased, patients were more likely to have high-risk disease (p ​< ​0.01). We found a linear association between the primary tumor size and high-risk histology with pre-operative Tg (p ​< ​0.01). Pre-operative Tg level was significantly associated with response to therapy following initial surgical management. Specifically, as pre-operative Tg increases, patients were less likely to achieve an excellent response (p ​< ​0.01). ConclusionsOur retrospective analysis demonstrated that pre-operative Tg is significantly associated with ATA structural risk of recurrence and response to therapy and may have the potential to guide initial therapy and follow-up management.

Risk factors for recurrence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in children and adolescents: A retrospective cohort study.

This study aimed to provide a recent clinical evaluation of the outcome of treatment and the predictors of recurrence for Chinese children and adolescents with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). This is a retrospective cohort study at the Yunnan Cancer Hospital from May 2002 to August 2021. We analyzed several risk factors related to the recurrence of DTC in children and adolescents. The Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier log-rank tests, and Cox regression analysis were used in the statistical analysis. A P-value <.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 103 patients were enrolled, including 68 girls (66.0%) and 35 boys (34.0%) with a median age of 18 years (range: 7-20 years). All enrolled patients received standard treatment. Children (≤14years) tended to have multifocality and higher levels of thyroid imaging reporting and data system, higher pN stage, and higher American Thyroid Association (ATA) pediatric risk compared with adolescents (P < .05). The chief complaints and clinical treatment differed between children and adolescents. During a follow-up of 6 to 239 months (average 74.7 months, median 59 months), all patients survived, but recurrence occurred in 22 patients (22.4%). The disease-free survival rates at 1, 2, 5, and 10 years were 91.2%, 78.4%, 77.1%, and 77.1%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression and log-rank tests showed that positive preoperative thyroglobulin level, bilaterality, extrathyroidal extension, high pT/pN/pM stage, and high ATA pediatric risk were the risk factors for DTC recurrence in children and adolescents. Multivariate Cox regression found that extrathyroidal extension and ATA pediatric risk were independent risk factors for the recurrence of DTC in children and adolescents. Additionally, among the 38 cases with cN0 stage, one who had bilateral, and multifocal thyroid nodules experienced recurrence, while the remaining 37 cases with cN0 stage had no recurrence. In conclusion, compared with adolescents, children present with more highly malignant disease and are more prone to metastasis. The significant risk factors associated with the recurrence of DTC in children and adolescents were positive preoperative thyroglobulin level, bilaterality, high pT/pN/pM stage, extrathyroidal extension, and high ATA pediatric risk, with the latter 2 being independent risk factors. The surgical approach for cN0 patients should be personalized taking into account invasive features.

Assessment of preoperative thyroglobulin levels in papillary thyroid cancer.

The papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs) are the most common cancer of endocrine cancers. The primary treatment is surgery, and the prognosis is mostly well. In spite of many methods for the early diagnosis, the simpler and noninvasive methods are being sought. The aim of this study is to find out whether the value of thyroglobulin (Tg) is related with PTC. Prospectively; we measured the preoperative Tg value of 203 (159 females and 44 males) patients who underwent a total thyroidectomy with various indications in General Surgery Department of Gaziantep University. Tg values of 61 patients with benign lesions and 142 patients with PTC were compared. In the patients with PTC, the mean preoperative Tg value was 105.05 ng/ml and 76.80 ng/ml in the benign patients. According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, the cutoff point was determined 102 ng/ml. There was a statistically significant difference in preoperative Tg values between benign group and PTC (P < 0.05). Patients with a preoperative Tg values above 102 ng/mL may more likely to have PTC. It is thought that Tg levels may be accepted as a criterion for distinguish malignant/benign situations that should be supported with new studies.

Combine preoperative estimation of serum thyroglobulin and ACR-thyroid imaging reporting and data system scoring could accurately define malignant thyroid nodules

Background: Evaluation of diagnostic ability of preoperative estimation of serum thyroglobulin (TG) to detect malignant thyroid nodules (TN) in comparison to the American College of Radiology, Thyroid imaging reporting and data system (ACR-TIRADS), fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and intraoperative frozen section (IO-FS).Methods: 34 patients with ACR-TIRADS 2-4 TN were evaluated preoperatively for identification of malignancy and all underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral neck block dissection if indicated. Results of preoperative investigations were statistically analyzed using the Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis as predictors for malignancy in comparison to postoperative paraffin sections.Results: Preoperative serum TG levels had 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value, while ACR-TIRADS scoring had 100% specificity and positive predictive value with accuracy rates of 95.35% and 97.67% for TG and TIRADS, respectively. ROC curve analysis defined preoperative ACR-TIRADS class and serum TG as highly diagnostic than FNAC for defining malignancy with non-significant difference between areas under curve for TIRADS and TG. For cases had intermediate risk of malignancy on TIRADS, IO-FS had missed 3, FNAC missed 4, while serum TG levels were very high in the 13 cases and were defined by ROC curve as the only significant predictor for malignancy.Conclusions: Preoperative estimation of serum TG showed higher diagnostic validity than FNAC, high predictability of cancer and ability to verify the intermediate findings on TIRADS. Combined preoperative TIRADS and TG estimation could accurately discriminate malignant TN with high accuracy and spare the need for preoperative FNAC or IO-FS.

Preoperative Serum Thyroglobulin and Its Correlation with the Burden and Extent of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is usually detected with preoperative ultrasonography; however, this has limited sensitivity for small metastases, and there is currently no predictive biomarker that can help to inform the extent of surgery required. We evaluated whether preoperative serum thyroglobulin levels can predict tumor burden and extent. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 4029 DTC cases diagnosed and treated at a Samsung Medical Center between 1994 and 2016. We reviewed primary tumor size, number and location of LNM, and presence of distant metastases to reveal relationships between tumor burden and extent and preoperative serum thyroglobulin levels. We found a linear association between increasing preoperative thyroglobulin levels, the size of the primary tumor, and the number of LNM (r = 0.34, p < 0.001, r = 0.20, p < 0.001, respectively). Tumor extent also increased with each decile of increasing preoperative thyroglobulin level (r = 0.18, p < 0.001). Preoperative thyroglobulin levels of 13.15 ng/mL, 30.05 ng/mL, and 62.9 ng/mL were associated with the presence of ipsilateral lateral LNM, contralateral lateral LNM, and distant metastasis, respectively. Our results suggest that preoperative measurement of serum thyroglobulin may help to predict LNM and help to tailor surgery.

Preoperative serum thyroglobulin levels as a predictor of thyroid carcinoma

Background: Incidence of thyroid nodules varies according to the methods of diagnosis, 4-7% by palpation and 17-67% by high resolution ultrasound. The gold standard of diagnosis for thyroid nodules is fine needle aspiration (FNA); however, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) alone is insufficient to detect cancer because of inadequate cytology (5-15%) and in cases of follicular neoplasm (15-25%) where only surgery is diagnostically conclusive. Therefore, other factors in addition to FNA should be considered to predict malignancy. This study was done to evaluate the association between elevated pre-operative thyroglobulin levels and histopathologically proven thyroid carcinoma.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, from December 2017 to November 2018. All patients above 18 years, undergoing total thyroidectomy, with normal antithyroglobulin levels and with indeterminate thyroid nodules or disease on FNAC were included. Patients proven to have malignancy by FNAC, who underwent hemithyroidectomy and patients with thyroglossal cyst or ectopic thyroid swellings were excluded.Results: A total of 50 patients were included. The Fischer’s exact test shows significant value of 0.037 and also the two-tailed test showed a p value &lt;0.05, hence it is significant to conclude that the mean value of thyroglobulin levels among histopathologically proven malignant thyroid cancers is significantly higher compared to the benign thyroid disease.Conclusions: In addition to thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyroid nodules with elevated thyroglobulin levels were independently associated with the presence of thyroid cancer; therefore, the evaluation of pre-operative thyroglobulin level in patients with indeterminate FNAC might give additional information to predict malignancy.

Preoperative prediction of non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features: a Canadian single-Centre experience

BackgroundAn international group of experts recommended reclassifying non-invasive follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancers (FVPTC) as ‘non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features’ (NIFTP) in April 2016. The purpose of this study was to establish preoperative clinical, laboratory, ultrasonographic, and cytological variables, which can differentiate NIFTP from FVPTC.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients from a single institution evaluated between January 2012 and December 2017. 203 adult patients underwent lobectomy or total thyroidectomy for a FVPTC during that period. Each patient’s medical chart was reviewed and information on pre-operative variables was recorded. An expert pathologist reviewed all surgical specimens and reclassified a subset of FVPTC as NIFTP according to the specific criteria.ResultsOverall, 44 patients were included in the NIFTP group and 159 in the non-NIFTP group. Mean age was 50.1 years in the NIFTP group and 50.7 in the non-NIFTP group. Most patients were female (86.4% (38/44) in the NIFTP group vs 79.8% (127/159) in the non-NIFTP group). More patients underwent lobectomy in the NIFTP group (50% (22/44) vs 16.4% (26/159) in the non-NIFTP group, p = < 0.0001). Less patients received radioactive iodine in the NIFTP group (31.8% (14/44) vs 52.2% (83/159) in the non-NIFTP group, p = 0.0177). Preoperative thyroglobulin levels were lower in NIFTP patients (Median 25.55 mcg/L +/− 67.8 vs 76.06 mcg/L +/− 119.8 in Non-NIFTP, p = 0.0104). NIFTP nodules were smaller (Mean size 22.97 mm +/− 12.3 vs 25.88 mm +/− 11.2 for non-NIFTP, p = 0.0448) and more often solid than non-NIFTP (93.2% (41/44) vs 74.8% (119/159) for non-NIFTP, p = 0.0067). 2017 ACR TIRADS nodule category of 1–4 on ultrasound had a negative predictive value and a sensitivity of 100% for NIFTP. ROC Curve Analysis demonstrated that a preoperative thyroglobulin level of 31.3 mcg/L had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 62.5% to differentiate NIFTP from non-NIFTP cancers.ConclusionLower preoperative thyroglobulin levels, smaller nodule size, solid texture and 2017 ACR TIRADS Category of 1–4 are more strongly associated with NIFTP than FVPTC and can favour less invasive surgical options such as lobectomy.

Factors Influencing the Successful Maintenance of Euthyroidism after Lobectomy in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: A Single-Center Study

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate factors influencing the successful maintenance of postoperative euthyroidism in patients who did not undergo immediate thyroid hormone replacement after lobectomy for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods: From September 2015 to June 2017, 186 patients underwent lobectomy for PTMC in our hospital. Patients taking medications for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism before and after lobectomy were excluded. Multiple parameters, including sex, age, pre-operative free thyroxine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (TG), and thyroid autoantibody levels, body mass index (BMI), postoperative histopathology of the thyroid gland, remnant thyroid gland volume, and session number of levothyroxine discontinuation were retrospectively evaluated. These factors were compared between groups based on the maintenance of postoperative euthyroidism. Results: In 88 of the 175 patients (50.3%), postoperative euthyroidism was successfully maintained without thyroid hormone replacement during the first year after lobectomy. There were significant differences in sex (P = .003), pre-operative TSH levels (P = .002), and histopathology of the thyroid gland (P = .035) between the groups showing maintenance success and failure. The group showing successful maintenance had a higher percentage of male patients, lower levels of pre-operative TSH, and normal parenchymal histology of the thyroid gland. However, there were no significant between-group differences in age, pre-operative free T4, TG, and thyroid autoantibody levels, BMI, remnant thyroid gland volume, and session number of levothyroxine discontinuation. Conclusion: Patient sex, pre-operative TSH levels, and histopathology of the thyroid gland may influence the maintenance of postoperative euthyroidism after lobectomy. Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index; PTMC = papillary thyroid microcarcinoma; RR = reference range; T4 = thyroxine; TFT = thyroid function test; TG = thyroglobulin; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.

Vanishing Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Morphological Changes After Fine-Needle Aspiration

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of a thyroid nodule is typically considered a benign procedure. Uncommonly, morphological changes can occur in the nodule or tissue after the procedure. These changes have been noted in tissues like thyroid, breast, lymph node, and prostate. The objective of this case report is to report the rare occurrence of thyroid cancer diagnosed on FNA, appearing as a necrotic mass after near total thyroidectomy and to emphasize the need for confirmation of diagnosis with histopathology. A 69-year-old man was seen for a self-discovered neck mass. Thyroid ultrasound demonstrated a thyroid nodule with suspicious features. Ultrasound-guided FNA of the nodule was performed with a 22-gauge needle without immediate complications. The cytology was read as consistent with papillary thyroid cancer with a preoperative thyroglobulin level of 15,288 ng/mL (normal range is 1.6-55 ng/mL). After a near total thyroidectomy, histopathology revealed complete infarction of the tumor with no evidence of cancerous tissue remaining. Based on the pathology report, he was considered cured of the cancer and did not receive radioactive iodine therapy. The occurrence of tissue infarction following FNA of a thyroid nodule is rare, reportedly <2%. We conclude a review of the original cytology material and a thorough examination of remaining viable tissue be made. Complete evaluation for invasion of the capsule or surrounding tissue must be ascertained to decrease diagnostic errors.

Development and validation of a preoperative prediction model for follicular thyroid carcinoma.

The low pre- and intraoperative diagnostic rates in follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) often lead to inadequate surgical resection and necessitate further completion surgery. Therefore, the preoperative prediction of FTC in thyroid nodules is essential. DESIGNAND PATIENT: Patients were categorized into two data sets: the modelling data set, which included 3649 patients admitted to our centre between January 2014 and December 2016, and the validation data set, which included 1253 patients admitted between January and December 2017. Patient data from the FTC and non-FTC groups were initially included in a modelling data set to establish a preoperative prediction model. This model was subsequently employed in a validation data set for external validation of the predictive value. The positivity rate for FTC predicted by the model was compared with that of the intraoperative frozen sections. The preoperative serum thyroglobulin level, nodule diameter, calcification status, solidity and blood supply were selected as predictors for the model. The regression equation was as follows: Y=0.010×(thyroglobulin level)+0.556×(nodule diameter)+0.675×(calcification status)+2.355×(nodule component)+1.072*(blood flow)-9.787. The model positively predicted FTC at values of Y≥-4.11. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of the prediction model were 89.2%, 90.2%, 87.7%, 39.2 and 0.11, respectively. External validation of the model demonstrated acceptable results. The positive prediction rate of the model was 90.7% (78/86), which was significantly higher than that of the intraoperative frozen sections (10.5% [9/86]; P<0.0001). We successfully established and validated a simple and reliable preoperative prediction model for FTC using the preoperative thyroglobulin level and ultrasonographic features of the thyroid nodules. This model may improve the preoperative evaluation of FTC in clinical settings and facilitate the development of a reasonable surgical programme for FTC.

SUN-619 Thyroid Carcinoma Masquerading as Pituitary Tumor: A Rare Diagnosis Not to Miss in the Evaluation of a Sellar Mass

Background Metastatic disease constitutes 1-2% of sellar masses. The majority of pituitary metastases are secondary to lung or breast cancer. Rarely thyroid cancer metastasizes to the pituitary gland setting off diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We present such a case in a patient with no known history of thyroid cancer. Clinical case A 73 year old woman with history of right breast ductal carcinoma in situ, presented with headaches and left sided vision loss. MRI scan showed a large 6.5 x 3.5 x 4.6 cm sellar mass extending into the clivus, nasal cavity and maxillary, sphenoid and cavernous sinuses with bilateral optic nerve compression. Biopsy of the nasal mass revealed malignant clusters of follicles with scattered intranuclear pseudoinclusions and grooves and immunostaining was positive for thyroid transcription factor 1 and thyroglobulin, consistent with metastatic thyroid carcinoma. PET scan showed a hypermetabolic left hemithyroid mass, the large hypermetabolic destructive skull base mass and a few suspicious right sided cervical lymph nodes. She had a palpable left sided thyroid nodule, seen on ultrasound as 2.9 cm lobulated, rim calcified nodule that was positive for papillary thyroid cancer on fine needle aspiration biopsy. Preoperative thyroglobulin level was >30,000 ng/ml (normal 1.6-55 ng/ml). She underwent a combined endonasal transsphenoidal partial resection of the large sellar mass and total thyroidectomy. Postoperative thyroid pathology was consistent with angioinvasive follicular thyroid cancer (FTC), and surrounding lymph nodes were negative for malignancy. She has recovering vision in both eyes. The residual sellar tumor was treated with fractionated external beam radiation therapy. This was followed by adjuvant radioactive iodine ablation for stage IVc FTC. Conclusion In patients found to have an extensive sellar mass, prompt workup should be done to identify etiology, keeping an open mind to rare pathologies. Pituitary metastases more commonly present with symptoms related to mass effect in the sella than hormone deficiencies. Usually patients with thyroid cancer pituitary metastases already have known thyroid cancer, often with additional metastases. This case is unique in that the patient presented with signs and symptoms of mass effect from an extensive sellar mass. In scenarios with coexisting sellar mass and thyroid nodule it is very important not to miss the possibility of thyroid cancer with metastases to the pituitary gland.

Assessing the utility of preoperative serum thyroglobulin in differentiated thyroid cancer: a retrospective cohort study

Serum thyroglobulin (TG) is used to monitor for recurrence or progression of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The role of preoperative TG measurement is more ambiguous, yet still being used in some centers. We aimed to determine whether preoperative TG correlates with disease stage or metastatic burden. A retrospective review of patients with TG measured before thyroidectomy was conducted. Data collected included demographics, preoperative TG, pathology, and cancer stage. Associations between preoperative TG levels and size of largest malignant nodule, thyroid gland size, stage of cancer, and presence of metastasis using Wilcoxon rank sum tests and Spearman correlations were performed. Receiver operator curve (ROC) was generated for metastasis status. Of 598 patients, we excluded those with positive TG antibodies (n = 176); 422 patients were included in the final analysis. Median age was 55 years and 76% were female. Of 78% with malignancy, papillary thyroid cancer was the most frequent (92%). 18% had TG levels >500 ng/mL and 29% <45 ng/mL. 4% had distant metastasis and 18% had lymph node metastasis. Median follow-up was 52 months. Significant positive correlations between preoperative TG and thyroid size (rho 0.49, p < 0.001), and malignant nodule size (rho 0.27, p < 0.001). Using a cut-off of 500 ng/mL, sensitivity to detect metastasis was 10.3% (95% CI 2.5-18.2), specificity 90.0% (95% CI 86.0-93.9). The area under curve for ROC (0.46, 95% CI 0.38-0.54) indicated poor diagnostic ability for metastasis. Although preoperative TG correlated significantly with the size of the gland and T stage, there was no correlation with metastasis. Preoperative TG is of limited utility in today's value-based healthcare environment.

I-131, I-123, and F-18 FDG-PET Imaging in a Patient With Diffuse Sclerosing Variant of Papillary Thyroid Cancer

To compare the sensitivity of I-123 total body iodine (TBI) scan, I-131 TBI, and PET scanning with 2-deoxy-2[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG-PET) scans for detection of residual/recurrent disease in patients with diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid cancer. A 45-year-old woman with status post-thyroidectomy and modified neck dissection showed papillary thyroid carcinoma with a diffuse sclerosing variant and positive lymph nodes. Six weeks after surgery, I-131 TBI and FDG-PET scans showed no residual or metastatic disease. However, clinical suspicion for disease remained, and an I-123 TBI scan was performed. I-123 TBI showed a tiny residual focus in the left thyroid bed. The patient was treated with 150 mCi oral I-131 sodium iodide; posttreatment scan confirmed the presence of residual disease. Follow-up I-123 TBI scans up to 2 1/2 years posttreatment were negative. Total body imaging with I-123 was more sensitive than I-131 TBI scanning for detecting residual or recurrent disease in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer presenting with low preoperative thyroglobulin levels.

Hürthle cell tumor of the thyroid: analysis of 188 cases.

We reviewed 188 cases of Hürthle cell tumor of the thyroid (HCT) between 1982 and 1996. There were 160 women and 28 men with a mean age of 51.8 years. Thirty-one of the patients had cancer, and the others had adenoma. Age, size of the primary tumor, and preoperative thyroglobulin level were not significantly different in the cancer and adenoma patients. The gender ratio, however, was significantly different (p < 0.05). Recurrent HCT was observed in three patients with adenoma. Two patients had subcutaneous recurrence (suspected implantation), and the other patient had recurrence in the residual thyroid gland. All patients with recurrence of adenoma underwent partial lobectomy at the initial operation. Three cancer patients had recurrent disease. Locoregional recurrence was observed in one patient and distant metastases in two patients (lung in one, lung and bone in one). One of the patients with distant metastasis died from the disease, and the other is alive with the disease. Tumor implantation was observed in patients with adenoma, so intraoperative handling of the tumor requires care. It also means that this tumor, even though benign, is aggressive in terms of proliferative activity. All patients with Hürthle cell tumor should be treated by total lobectomy at least. The outcome of the cancer patients was not as poor as in previous reports.

Comparison of histology and immunohistochemistry with thyroglobulin serum levels and radioiodine uptake in recurrences and metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinomas.

The importance of lightmicroscopical and immunohistochemical features of 38 recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinomas (27 papillary carcinomas (PC), 11 follicular carcinomas (FC] for post-operative serum thyroglobulin (TG) concentrations was analysed in regard to pre-operative serum TG levels with tumour type, histological and cytological differentiation, volume fraction of TG synthesizing tumour cells (TG immunohistomorphometry), tumour volume and radioiodine uptake (RIU). Serum TG concentrations increased with tumour size and the number of TG synthesizing tumour cells (r = 0.5). PC and FC did not differ in their volume proportions of TG synthesizing tumour cells, while TG serum levels in FC significantly exceeded those of PC of similar size. The low TG serum levels found in PC might be explained by a specific defect in thyroglobulin secretion. Carcinomas with partial or total cytologic metaplasia (e.g. oxyphilic carcinomas) had low volume proportions of TG synthesizing cells and low serum TG levels. Thirteen of the 38 differentiated carcinomas (34.2%) showed both high TG serum levels and positive RIU, 17 (44.7%) disclosed only elevated TG serum levels and 6 (15.8%) a positive RIU. In two cases (5.3%) TG serum levels were not elevated and RIU's were negative. TG immunostaining was positive in all 38 cases. In summary, TG serum levels depend on the following morphologic factors in differentiated thyroid carcinomas: 1) Number of TG synthesizing tumour cells, 2) Mode of TG secretion and 3) Cytological differentiation of the tumour cells. Serum TG levels did not predict total body iodine scan.