Thyroid Cancer pp 419-425 | Cite as

Follow-Up Strategy in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Chapter
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Abstract

Effective surveillance for recurrent papillary thyroid cancer begins with an assessment of the risk of recurrence or death from disease. This information is used to determine an appropriate level of follow-up, which may vary from as little as an annual neck examination on replacement thyroid hormone therapy for very low-risk lesions to annual or semiannual thyrotropin (TSH)-stimulated whole-body scan (WBS) and thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement for high-risk patients. Additionally, the patients’ response to initial therapy further modulates the surveillance strategy. Effective follow-up is also contingent upon a current understanding of the strengths and limitations of the tools available for thyroid cancer surveillance. This chapter focuses on the rationale used to determine the method and frequency of follow-up for patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and reviews current guidelines regarding surveillance for persistent or recurrent disease.

Keywords

Papillary thyroid cancer Follow-up Risk level Recurrent disease Persistent disease Surveillance Imaging Serum thyroglobulin Clinical practice guidelines PTC 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Endocrinology ServiceDwight David Eisenhower Army Medical CenterFt. GordonUSA
  2. 2.Endocrinology DivisionUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterBethesdaUSA

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