The role of estimation of the ratio of preoperative serum thyroglobulin to the thyroid mass in predicting the behaviour of well differentiated thyroid cancers.

ABSTRACT

Although serum thyroglobulin (STg) is a useful tumour marker to detect the recurrence of tumour in well differentiated thyroid carcinoma, it has as yet not been reported to be of value in predicting the behaviour of thyroid cancer. In the present study of 20 patients, the measurement of preoperative Stg/thyroid mass has been utilised to find out Tg synthesizing capacity of the tumour. This ratio was significantly higher in the patients with follicular variety than in papillary thyroid carcinoma. It was significantly higher in the metastasis group than in the group of patients without metastasis. The patients with functioning metastasis had a higher than average value of this 'ratio' than those with non functioning metastasis, though the difference was not statistically significant. Despite the limitation of a small number of patients included in this study, it is possible to highlight the possible utility of preoperative Stg estimation as a tumour marker in categorization of the patients of carcinoma of the thyroid gland.