Scientists at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo in Brazil have identified a new test for monitoring the recurrence of thyroid cancer, thyroglobulin mRNA (circulating thyroglobulin messenger ribonucleic acid). A study of 34 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer compared the results of thyroid mRNA with conventional forms of follow-up studies including whole body scan and sodium/iodide supporter mRNA. Seventeen of the thrity-four had also had treatment with radioactive iodine. Thirteen patients identified with elevated levels of thyrogobulin mRNA, eight had undetected levels of TSH, 6 showed no uptake on a whole body scan and three showed metastatic cancer.
This test does not require stopping T4 therapy or the use of recombinant TSH, a big plus to patients. Current tests require as many as three weeks off thyroxine before the test. Patients can experience very uncomfortable symptoms of hypothyroidism during that time.
- Sources:
- New Test Improves the Detection of Recurrent Thyroid Cancer J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000;85;3623-3627 accessed 8 Dec 2000
- Biscolla RP, Cerutti JM, Maciel RM Detection of recurrent thyroid cancer by sensitive nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of thyroglobulin and sodium/iodide symporter messenger ribonucleic acid transcripts in peripheral blood J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000 Oct;85(10):3623-7
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