Management of low-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer based only on thyroglobulin measurement after recombinant human thyrotropin.

A multicenter study was undertaken to ascertain prevalence and significance of recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH)-stimulated increases in thyroglobulin (Tg) levels in thyroid cancer patients classified to be at low risk for recurrence. Patients were eligible for enrollment if they had undergone near-total or total thyroidectomy and remnant ablation between 1-10 years prior to enrollment and had received thyroxine suppression therapy (THST) with a TSH level of < 0.5 mU/L and Tg level less than or equal to 5 ng/mL within the prior year. Patients with anti-Tg antibodies, distant metastases, or other evidence of residual disease were excluded. Four hundred eighty-six patients were entered into the study, and 300 were considered eligible and comprise the study population. TSH, Tg, and anti-Tg antibody levels were obtained at baseline, followed by intramuscular injection of 0.9 mg of rhTSH on days 1 and 2 and measurement of Tg on day 5. After rhTSH, 53 patients (18%) had elevations in Tg of at least 2 ng/mL, including 33 patients (11%) with increases from baseline of equal to or greater than 5 ng/mL. Patients with an initial advanced stage of disease were more likely to display elevations in Tg after rhTSH. One third of those with stage III disease displayed elevations in Tg of 2 ng/mL or more. Patients within 5 years of thyroidectomy were as likely to display elevations in rhTSH-stimulated Tg as those 5-10 years from surgery. In conclusion, these data suggest rhTSH-stimulated Tg testing without scan may be a useful tool in the follow-up of patients with low-risk thyroid cancer, and may serve to identify patients previously thought free of disease on the basis of undetectable Tg levels while undergoing THST. A strategy is presented for incorporation of this approach into the management of patients with low-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer.