title: [Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of distant metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma after initial therapy].
abstract: We studied 58 patients with distant metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma diagnosed after initial therapy. Lymph node metastases were observed in 65% of the patients on initial presentation. All lymph node metastases, ninety percent of the lung metastases and only 25% of the bone metastases were asymptomatic. Radiography revealed lytic metastases in cases of bone involvement, was normal in 39.6% of the patients, and showed micrometastases in 34.5% and macrometastases in 25.8% of the patients with lung disease. Thyroglobulin (Tg) under thyroxine use was detectable in all patients without antibodies at a cut-off > 1 ng/ml, in 90% at > 5 ng/ml and in 80% at > 10 ng/ml, and after thyroxine withdrawal in 100% at a cut-off > 5 ng/ml and in 94% at > 10 ng/ml. In the case of patients with antibodies (13.8%), Tg was undetectable in half of them. Diagnostic scanning was positive in 83 and 77.6% of the patients with bone and lung metastases, respectively. After ablative therapy, the sensitivity was 100 and 93%, respectively. Eighty-five percent of patients with a negative diagnostic scan had lung metastases visible on radiographs. The determination of serum Tg is the best method in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Elevated Tg levels suggest the presence of metastases, indicating the need for ablative therapy with posttreatment scanning, which might reveal non-apparent metastases.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tireóide, Clínica de Endocrinologia e Metabiologia, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, MG. pedrorosario@globo.com
authors.forename: Pedro Weslley S do
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Rosário
authors.forename: Alvaro Luís
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Eduardo L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Padrão
authors.forename: Leonardo Lamego
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.forename: Ludmilla David
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Saulo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purisch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy