title: [Role of nuclear medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of macroscopic metastases].
abstract: The efficacy of internal radiotherapy of metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma is optimal when the lesions are small or microscopic in size, but decreases rapidly when the metastatic mass exceeds several grams. In this last situation the role of internal radiotherapy should be discussed relative to surgery (when possible) and external radiotherapy. When metastases do not take up iodine-131 (about a third of cases) and are not visualized by conventional imaging techniques, several radiopharmaceutical agents with relative tumor specificity can facilitate their visualization and guide surgical strategy. None of the radiopharmaceutical agents currently under evaluation have demonstrated a clear superiority for this purpose.
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Centre René Gauducheau, Saint-Herblain.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chatal
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
vernacular_title: Place de la médecine nucléaire dans le diagnostic et le traitement des métastases macroscopiques.