Is Stimulated Thyroglobulin Necessary after Ablation in All Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Basal Thyroglobulin Detectable by a Second-Generation Assay?

Figure 1

Follow-up proposal for low-risk patients with detectable Tg < 0.3 ng/mL, negative circulating TgAb, and negative US after ablation. Tg, thyroglobulin; TgAb, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies; US, neck ultrasound. The algorithm does not apply to patients not submitted to ablation. Low risk defined according to currently recommended classifications [3, 8]. Considering a second-generation assay with a functional sensitivity of 0.1 ng/mL. After 5 years of stable detectable Tg and negative US, follow-up can be performed exclusively by annual measurement of basal Tg and imaging methods are only needed in the case of an increase.