What is more sensitive in detecting residual thyroid cancer, the thyroglobulin blood test, or the whole body scan?
Although these tests give different and often complementary types of information, most studies show that the thyroglobulin blood test is slightly more sensitive at detecting small residual amounts of thyroid cancer, when the test is done in the hypothyroid state, or following administration of recombinant TSH. See Prediction of Disease Status by Recombinant Human TSH-Stimulated Serum Tg in the Postsurgical Follow-Up of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Dec 1;86(12):5686-5690. In general, even a modest rise in the level of thyroglobulin after recombinant TSH administration should prompt a search for the possibility of metastases Clinical value of different responses of serum thyroglobulin to recombinant human thyrotropin in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid.
