Recombinant Human Thyroid Stimulating Hormone versus Thyroid Hormone Withdrawal for Radioactive Iodine Treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer with Nodal Metastatic Disease
Table 2
Response to initial treatment, additional treatments, and outcome.
Parameter
THW ()
rhTSH ()
value
Response to initial treatment
0.052
Excellent
12 (39%)
24 (57%)
Acceptable
4 (13%)
9 (21%)
Incomplete
15 (48%)
9 (21%)
Additional surgeries
0.44
None
21 (68%)
33 (79%)
1
6 (19%)
7 (17%)
2
4 (13%)
2 (5%)
Additional RAI treatments#
0.03
None
17 (55%)
28 (67%)
1
9 (29%)
14 (33%)
≥2
5 (16%)
0 (0%)
Distant metastasis at any time
0.21
0
27 (87%)
40 (95%)
1
4 (13%)
2 (5%)
Clinical status at last visit
0.62
No evidence of disease
21 (68%)
30 (71%)
Persistent disease
4 (13%)
8 (19%)
Recurrent disease
3 (10%)
2 (5%)
Death due to thyroid cancer
3 (10%)
2 (5%)
Additional surgery usually consisted of removal of one or more lymph nodes. The dose for each additional treatment, a fixed dose of 5.5 GBq (150 mCi) of 131-I.
