title: Implications of thyroglobulin antibody positivity in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: a clinical position statement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Even though the presence of antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs) represents a significant problem in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the current guidelines on the management of DTC that have been published in recent years contain no text concerning the methods to be used for detecting such antibody-related interference in thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement or how to manage TgAb-positive patients in whom Tg cannot be used reliably as a tumor marker.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  An international group of experts from the European Thyroid Association Cancer Research Network who are involved in the care of DTC patients met twice to form a consensus opinion on how to proceed with treatment and follow-up in TgAb-positive DTC patients based on the available evidence in the literature. Here we will report on the consensus opinions that were reached regarding technical and clinical issues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This clinical opinion article provides an overview of the available evidence and the resulting consensus recommendations. The current literature does not provide sufficient data for giving evidence-based answers to many questions arising in the care of TgAb-positive DTC patients. Where insufficient evidence was available, a thorough discussion by a group of physician-scientists, all of whom have a distinguished track record in thyroid cancer care, was held to arrive at a consensus expert opinion. The questions and answers discussed were then summarized into an algorithm for the management of TgAb-positive patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We were able to define 26 consensus expert recommendations and a resulting algorithm for the care of TgAb-positive DTC patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Aachen , Aachen, Germany .
authors.forename: Frederik A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Verburg
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luster
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cupini
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiovato
authors.forename: Leonidas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duntas
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elisei
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Feldt-Rasmussen
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rimmele
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seregni
authors.forename: Johannes W A
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Theimer
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giovanella
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D005060:Europe; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D012958:Societies, Scientific; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C006606:anti-thyroglobulin; D013954:Thyroglobulin