Thyrotropin stimulation and low-dose radioiodine, according to two recent clinical trials
Several important clinical questions remain regarding the management of early-stage thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy, including the optimal method of thyrotropin stimulation and the optimal dose of radioiodine. Two recent clinical trials provide some answers.
The first trial, conducted by Schlumberger and colleagues, involved 752 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer of pathologic stage T1aN1, T1aNx, T1bNany, or T2N0. The patients were randomized to one of four treatment arms:
Thyroid-hormone withdrawal, with low-dose radioiodine therapy (1.1 GBq)
Thyroid-hormone withdrawal, with high-dose radioiodine therapy (3.7 GBq)
Recombinant human thyrotropin stimulation, with low-dose radioiodine therapy
Recombi…