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1. Introduction
2. Recurrence rates and the need for follow-up
3. Thyrogen in follow-up
4. Summary
5. About the Author

Testing and Management: Importance of early detection of recurrent disease

By Ernest L. Mazzaferri, MD MACP

Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of Florida and
Emiritus Professor & Chairman of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University

Thyroid cancer mortality rates in the United States have declined nearly 20% over the past 30 years.[1] Papillary and follicular cancers (well-differentiated thyroid cancers [WDTC]) are the most common thyroid cancers, and have the best outcomes providing they are diagnosed early. Yet death from WDTC is still a concern. One large study of nearly 54,000 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent surgery in the United States between 1985 and 1995 found that papillary and follicular cancers-the two typically slow-growing cancers with the "best" prognosis-represented approximately 75% of thyroid cancer deaths, and were especially dangerous when the tumor was advanced at the time of diagnosis.[1,2] Overall, 10-year cancer mortality rates were about 7% for papillary and 15% for follicular thyroid cancer.[1]

In the past few decades, thyroid cancer has been diagnosed earlier, providing an opportunity for treatment before the cancer has spread beyond the thyroid, and improving survival rates. Proper therapy-in most cases this means surgical removal of the tumor along with the entire thyroid gland, followed by radioactive iodine (I-131) ablation and thyroid hormone therapy-has the potential to reduce recurrence and mortality rates.

Please click on the links below for more information.

1. Introduction
2. Recurrence rates and the need for follow-up
3. Thyrogen in follow-up
4. Summary
5. About the Author

REFERENCES:

1. Ries, LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, et al. 2000 SEER cancer statistics review, 1973-1997. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute.

2. Hundahl, SA, Fleming ID, Fremgen, AM, Mench, HR. 1998 A National Cancer Data Base Report on 53,856 cases of thyroid carcinoma treated in the US, 1985-1995. Cancer. 83:2638-2648.