title: The role of nuclear medicine in differentiated thyroid cancer.
abstract: In differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) nuclear medicine is able to cover the spectrum from diagnosis and treatment to follow up keeping patient's management in one institution. Nowadays, DTC is often diagnosed per chance, presenting as small indolent nodule diagnosed on routinely performed ultrasound. Ultrasound and ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy together with scintigraphy are probably the most adequate tools for diagnosis. After thyroidectomy, treatment with iodine-131 is routinely performed in a nuclear medicine therapy institution as a standard procedure in most of the cases with regard to histology. In case of iodine positive metastases, repeated therapies can be performed in order to reduce tumour burden. In the follow up of DTC thyroglobulin (tumour marker), ultrasound and diagnostic whole body scan are established procedures. With the development of SPECT/CT and PET/CT ((18)F-FDG, (68)Ga-somatostatin receptor) combining functional and anatomic imaging the nuclear medicine spectrum has further increased.
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, PET-CT Center Klagenfurt, Feschnigstraße 11, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria. susanne.kohlfuerst@kabeg.at
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Kohlfürst
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000032:analysis; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D047368:Tumor Burden; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D013954:Thyroglobulin