The Prognostic Role of Postablative Non-Stimulated Thyroglobulin in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Simple Summary

In the management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, thyroglobulin (Tg) is used as a tumor marker to predict residual disease. After surgery, the presence or absence of persistent disease and the risk for recurrent disease should be assessed. Risk categories may be changed during the course of disease; the reclassification of patients influences the management of the disease and the intensity of follow-up. The diagnostic and prognostic roles of postoperative stimulated and one-year postablative non-stimulated Tg was evaluated. The individual lowest and highest non-stimulated Tg values during the entire follow-up were also assessed. Non-stimulated Tg values had excellent diagnostic accuracy in predicting structural disease, and the risk classification based on these was significantly more accurate regarding outcome than that based on the postoperative stimulated Tg. Analysis of the lowest and highest Tg values highlighted that a patient’s risk category can be revised based on a single Tg measurement.

Abstract

Thyroglobulin (Tg) is the most important tumor marker in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic roles of postoperative stimulated and postablative lowest, highest, and one-year non-stimulated Tg values obtained during the follow-up of patients with DTC. In this retrospective study, 222 radioiodine-treated, anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb)-negative DTC patients having at least 9 months’ follow-up time were included (172 papillary and 50 follicular cancers; median age: 48 (from 15 to 91) years; female–male ratio: 158/64; median (quartiles) follow-up time: 54 (22–97) months). The 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines were applied as criteria of the therapeutic response. Postoperative stimulated Tg values had significantly lower diagnostic accuracy than any of the non-stimulated postablative Tg values. One-year non-stimulated Tg had excellent prognostic value for structural disease: a cut-off value of 0.85 ng/mL had an 88.1% diagnostic accuracy. If the Tg value did not decrease below 0.75 ng/mL at any time during follow-up, the risk of residual disease was 25 times higher. The highest non-stimulated Tg during follow-up was the best predictor of residual disease (e.g., a Tg value exceeding 7.7 ng/mL indicated a 30-fold increase in risk). Non-stimulated Tg values measured during follow-up have excellent diagnostic accuracy to predict structural disease in DTC patients. The risk classification of a patient can safely be modified based on even a single Tg measurement.