In Thyroidectomized Thyroid Cancer Patients, False-Positive I-131 Whole Body Scans Are Often Caused by Inflammation Rather Than Thyroid Cancer

• Main Authors: Yana Basis Garger MD (Author), Mathew Winfeld MD (Author), Kent Friedman MD (Author), Manfred Blum MD (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: SAGE Publishing, 2016-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objective. To show that I-131 false-positive results on whole-body scans (WBSs) after thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer may be a result of inflammation unassociated with the cancer. Methods. We performed a retrospective image analysis of our database of thyroid cancer patients who underwent WBS from January 2008 to January 2012 to identify and stratify false positives. Results. A total of 564 patients underwent WBS during the study period; 96 patients were referred for 99 I-131 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) scans to better interpret cryptic findings. Among them, 73 scans were shown to be falsely positive; 40/73 or 54.7% of false-positive findings were a result of inflammation. Of the findings, 17 were in the head, 1 in the neck, 4 in the chest, 3 in the abdomen, and 14 in the pelvis; 1 had a knee abscess. Conclusions. In our series, inflammation caused the majority of false-positive WBSs. I-131 SPECT/CT is powerful in the differentiation of inflammation from thyroid cancer. By excluding metastatic disease, one can properly prognosticate outcome and avoid unnecessary, potentially harmful treatment of patients with thyroid cancer.

Item Description

2324-7096
10.1177/2324709616633715