Clinical and laboratory follow-up in differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine malignant neoplasm even if a rare occurrence (0.5%-1.0%) of all human malignant tumors. Primary differentiated (papillary and follicular) forms represent over 90% of the total. Since recurrence of thyroid carcinoma can occur even after several years, patients must undergo a life-long follow-up. Thyroglobulin, being organ-specific, plays a major role as tumor marker and it is used essentially in the monitoring and follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma, both during L-thyroxine suppressive therapy and when it is discontinued or after recombinant TSH administration. The presence of antithyroglobulin antibodies masks the real value of thyroglobulin and therefore, at the same time, antithyroglobulin antibodies should always be determined.