# Thyroglobulin



## emil

Hi

I am trying to understand my thyroglobulin results. Here is my story in brief. On 6/20/12 I had a total thyroidectomy due to papillary thyroid cancer. It was stage 1 meaning it was confined to thyroid (1.3 cm) and no lymph node involvement. My thyroglobulin value was 1.2 ng/ml with thyrogen stimulation after 2 months. Now after 16 months I had the test again and my thyroglobulin is 0.4 ng/ml after thyrogen administration. I thought that it should be undetectable in order to be free of thyroid tissues. Can someone please explain? Is 0.4 falls under undetectable range or does it mean there are still some thyroid tissues remain? by the way I had been given 50 mci of 131-I after TT.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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## joplin1975

Yes, your Tg results are considered undetectable. Anything under 2.0 is considered undetectable.

It would be very unusual for you to get a 0.0 result. My lab had my latest result as <0.3...there's no 0.0 result. What you want to look for with Tg is trends. As long as it continue to decline and/or stays about the same, you are good. If it gradually increases, then you should start to be concerned.


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## emil

Thanks for the information. I feel much better. My doctor wants me to test again after 6 months. I will share that information later.


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## joplin1975

Sounds like a plan...best wishes for contiued good health!


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## emil

Hi

I have a question regarding prognosis. What is the survival of a male >50 years, with 1.3 cm papillary cancer without extrathyroidal or lymph node invasion? If anyone has any literature please let me know. Thanks.


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## joplin1975

Most sources will quote the five year survival rates for PTC as around 100% (some stating things like the actual number is 98% but the 2% who died were not related to the cancer itself, etc).

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroidcancer/detailedguide/thyroid-cancer-survival-rates

The SEER database is exceptional: http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/thyro.html

ETA: Using these criteria, a retrospective study of 1,019 patients showed that the 20-year survival rate is 98% for low-risk patients and 50% for high-risk patients.[11] The 10-year overall relative survival rates for patients in the United States are 93% for papillary cancer, 85% for follicular cancer, 75% for medullary cancer, and 14% for undifferentiated/anaplastic cancer.[2]

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/thyroid/healthprofessional

My opinion? If you are good about 1) keeping your TSH suppressed and 2) not skipping annual testing for monitoring purposes, there's no reason to assume mortality from papillary thyroid cancer. While you can never say you are "cancer free" (no evidence of disease is as close as we can get), I view as more of the possibility of a chronic condition.


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## emil

Many thanks Joplin for such a good reply. Someone told me that being over 50 years old male has a poor prognosis and I got scared although literature shows otherwise for a stage 1. I know age is an important factor but only if it has spread to extrathyroidal places.

Thanks again.


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## joplin1975

Most people say age does matter (but if you really have time to search extensively, there are some articles (I'll try to hunt them down if I get a few minutes) that maintain the age is less of a factor than previously thought. I honestly don't know what is truly correct.

The American Cancer Society says that risk peaks for men in their 60s and 70s. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroidcancer/detailedguide/thyroid-cancer-risk-factors

The take home message, I think, remains pretty much the same. Keep up with the monitoring and you should be just fine.


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## joplin1975

One more: Survival did not vary based on age, sex, or even if patients' cancer had reached the beginning of stage IV.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120611133922.htm


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## emil

Thanks.

I just saw your latest post. It is much reassuring.

Happy New Year.


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