264 - Laboratory medicine and thyroid carcinomas
Autor(s): L. Giovanella
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 5, N. 4, 2009 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 264-73
Summary
Differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) are rare but progressively increased in last years. This is due to the incresingly more common discovery of asymptomatic small cancers on imaging studies while less patients presented with advanced disease. Consequently, strategies for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of DTC, have been revised in light of personalized risks stratification. In this context, the laboratory medicine acquired a pivotal role and laboratory physician is now required to be part of multidisciplinary team for DTC management. The role of laboratory physician is not restricted to the analytical performance itself and aims to optimize the laboratory informations in the patient management. We intended here to illustrate the clinical and diagnostics problems and the role (and limits) of clinical laboratory in DTC management.
Key-words: thyroid nodule, differentiated thyroid carcinoma, thyroglobulin, follow-up.