How will recurrent thyroid cancer be found?
In the past, radioactive iodine whole body scans were the primary tool used to detect recurrent thyroid cancer. However, the primary tools used today include the blood test marker of thyroid cancer (serum thyroglobulin) and the neck ultrasound. If the serum thyroglobulin is elevated and the disease is not localized with a neck ultrasound, other radiologic studies are often used to identify the site of disease. These studies may include CT, MRI, and/or FDG PET scanning.
