Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2025.64.04.04

The Clinical Value of the I-131 Diagnostic Whole-Body Scan in the Follow-up of Intermediateand High-Risk Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Vlado Wagenhofer ; Clinical Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia *
Ivan Mihaljević ; Clinical Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Academy of Medical Sciences of Croatia, Croatia
Darija Šnajder ; Clinical Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Dunja Mudri ; Clinical Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Ivana Marić ; Clinical Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical value of the I-131 diagnostic
whole-body scan (WBS) during the follow-up of intermediate- and high-risk patients with differentiated
thyroid cancer (DTC) with respect to new classification criteria for risk groups (American Thyroid
Association, ATA 2015). The retrospective study included an analysis of 121 intermediate- and high-risk
patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer, who were treated and followed up in the Clinical Institute
of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Centre Osijek in the period
between 2004 and 2018. There were 35 (28.9%) structural recurrent or persistent diseases in the group
of intermediate- and high-risk patients. The sensitivity of the I-131 diagnostic WBS in the detection of
structural recurrent or persistent disease was 51.4% (18/35). The negative predictive value (NPV) of the
I-131 diagnostic WBS performed 12 months after initial treatment was 82.8%. The I-131 diagnostic
WBS combined with stimulated serum thyroglobulin (sTg) measurement detected structural recurrence
or persistent disease in 32 out of 35 patients (91.4%). When combined, their NPV was 94.4%, which
was identical to the NPV of the sTg measurement as the only test performed. In conclusion, our study
showed that the I-131 diagnostic WBS in patients with negative sTg findings obtained 12 months after
initial therapy did not have additional diagnostic value in detecting structural recurrent or persistent
disease in the group of intermediate- and high-risk patients.

Keywords

Thyroid cancer; I-131 whole-body scan; Thyroglobulin

Hrčak ID:

344673

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/344673

Publication date:

31.12.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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