[Anti thyroglobulin antibodies in the follow up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: residual or relapsing disease markers?].
BACKGROUND
Anti thyroglobulin antibodies are present in 25% of patients treated for a differentiated thyroid cancer, invalidating thyroglobulin determination. Those patients subjected to total thyroidectomy and free of disease, should reduce the production of these antibodies, due to the lack of antigenic stimulus. Therefore, anti thyroglobulin antibodies could be useful to detect early relapses.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between anti thyroglobulin antibodies and the evolution of the disease in patients treated for thyroid cancer.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of 26 patients treated for thyroid cancer with positive anti thyroglobulin antibodies, followed for three years. These were divided in those with or without lymphocytic thyroiditis (19 and 7 respectively).


RESULTS
At the first year of follow up, anti thyroglobulin antibody concentration was 401 +/- 94.9 UI/ml (x +/- sem) in patients with thyroiditis and 38.9 +/- 8.9 UI/ml in those without thyroiditis (p < 0.005). During the three years of follow up, no differences in anti thyroglobulin antibodies were observed between patients with or without tumor relapse.


CONCLUSIONS
Concentration of anti thyroglobulin antibodies was higher in patients with thyroiditis and did not differentiate patients with tumor relapse.
Quevedo
Iván
I
Departamentos de Endocrinología, Anatomía Patológica y Servicio de Laboratorios Clínicos, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Campino
Carmen
C
Rodríguez Portales
José A
JA
Arteaga
Eugenio
E
López
José Manuel
JM
Campusano
Claudia
C
González
Gilberto
G
Fardella
Carlos
C
Slater
Jenny
J
Valdivia
Ligia
L
Poggi
Helena
H
Foradori
Arnaldo
A
Velasco
Soledad
S
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D013965:Thyroidectomy
D001323:Autoantibodies; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C006606:anti-thyroglobulin; D013954:Thyroglobulin