Is radiation necessary with thyroglobulin at 13?
Patient: I had a total thyroidectomy 12 years ago due to thyroid cancer. Three months ago I stopped taking my Synthoid for a full body scan. The scan came back clear but my thyroglobulin was at 13. I had an MRI done of my neck area the radiologist said one of my lymph nodes was right at the limit of size. My doctor ordered a biopcy but I have not done that yet. He is also saying he thinks I need another radio active iodine treatment, but that bit carries risk of causing other cancers. I have heard of using ultra sound for diagnosis. Is this something that would work in my case or do I need to have the biopsy done? But the bigger question is do I need another radiation treatment with a 13 level thyroglobulin????? Thank you for your time. Lance Doctor: Thank you for posting your query. Thyroid cancer may relapse manifested with high Thyroglobulin level and appearance of lymph node.Lymph node needs pathological testing (biopsy) to confirm whether there is any recurrence.Radio Iodine Ablation is standard treatment of relapse.But, Thyroglobulin level >10ng/ml is also an indication of another course of Radio iodine ablation therapy.