Insensitivity of Tc-99m pertechnetate for detecting metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma

To evaluate the use of Tc-99m pertechnetate whole body scanning for the detection of metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, the authors performed sequential Tc-99m pertechnetate and I-131 scans in five patients with known or suspected metastatic thyroid cancer. All five patients had abnormal I-131 uptake, but only two patients had abnormal Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake. A total of 33 abnormal foci were located with I-131; Tc-99m pertechnetate detected only 3 of these foci, and did not demonstrate any foci that were not apparent with I-131. Despite the theoretical advantages of Tc-99m pertechnetate, it cannot be recommended as a substitute for I-131 for locating thyroid cancer metastases.