Value of Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/Computed Tomography Patient Management and Outcomes in Thyroid Cancer.

"Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) is used most frequently in the surveillance of iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer with increased thyroglobulin level after therapy. This article evaluates the impact of FDG-PET/CT on clinical management and the prognostic implications of a positive scan. In the studies reviewed, FDG-PET/CT changed the course of management in 14% to 78% of patients with suspected recurrence, and a positive scan was associated with poorer survival. Similar conclusions are supported in the literature for anaplastic and medullary thyroid cancers, although these are based on fewer studies on account of the lower prevalence of these subtypes."