Do you routinely use imaging (US, whole body iodine scans etc.) to follow papillary or follicular thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy and RAI therapy?
I am unaware of any prospective data suggesting a DFS or OS benefit to periodic imaging in patients with well differentiated thyroid cancer; that being said, beyond annual MMGs for our breast cancer patients, is there any benefit to any surveillance imaging in any malignancy? That has been recently discounted in lymphomas and lung cancers and, although our neuro-oncology colleagues proclaim the benefits of surveillance brain MRIs, salvage rates are abysmal regardless. So, in my world of the surveillance scans for well differentiated thyroid malignancies, I'd perform physical exams and thyroglobulins semi-annually (TG only if the antibody is negative) and semi-annual neck and thyroid bed US for 2 years then annually for 2 years, then no furt...
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