The rational use of 201Tl scintigraphy in the evaluation of differentiated thyroid cancer

Fifteen patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were examined following 131I thyroid ablation, of these seven were examined after radio-iodine therapy to disseminated neck cancer. They had no further radio-iodine uptake and were evaluated using a 201Tl scan. In thirteen patients there was a good correlation between the results and the clinical diagnosis, showing no uptake in seven subjects with negative clinical findings, and positive delineation of tumour tissue in the neck region in six patients. The remaining two patients with lymph node metastases after previous radio-iodine irradiation showed marked clinical regression of the metastases with absent uptake of both 131I and 201Tl, probably due to radiation-induced changes. The comparison of thallium scans with plasma thyroglobulin levels showed certain differences (high plasma thyroglobulin without any proof of remaining thyroid tissue in one patient and normal/low plasma thyroglobulin in the presence of a tumour in two patients) but both measurements could give additional information. It is believed that while in the differential diagnosis of a thyroid nodule no important information could be expected of scanning (compared with the high value of aspiration biopsy), the evaluation of patients without 131I uptake by 201Tl scans could provide important information for further therapy.