Nuclear medicine communications
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In patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), metastases can either show iodine-131 (I) uptake on whole-body scintigraphy or F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-FDG) uptake on combined PET and X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT), or a mix of both. The present study investigates the relationship between uptake patterns and prognosis in DTC patients, using thyroglobulin doubling time (TgDT) as a surrogate marker of prognosis. ⋯ In this initial exploratory retrospective study there appears to be an association between a positive TgDT and F-FDG-positive, I-negative metastases, which should encourage further studies in order to establish whether F-FDG PET-CT is the preferred primary imaging modality in patients with a positive TgDT. Roughly two-thirds of patients with a negative TgDT will show at least some degree of I positivity, potentially enabling further I therapy.