Thyroglobulin is a tumor marker that is often used to evaluate the development of thyroid cancer, especially during treatment, which helps your doctor adapt the form of treatment and dosage, based on the results.
Not all types of thyroid cancer cause thyroglobulin, the most common types of production, so levels of this marker usually increase in the blood in case of cancer. If the value of thyroglobulin continues to increase over time, this means that treatment does not. have the desired effect and must be handled.
- In rarer cases.
- The thyroglobulin test may be used to determine the cause of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
- For example.
The thyroglobulin test is usually done before starting any thyroid cancer treatment, with the aim of a baseline comparison value, and then repeated several times in time to assess whether the established treatment has the expected result.
If surgery has been chosen to remove the thyroid glands, also known as thyroidectomy, this test is done in the same way, often after surgery to ensure that cancer cells in the area do not fall into the area and can grow. Again.
In addition, in some cases of suspected hyperthyroidism, your doctor may also order a thyroglobulin test to identify diseases such as Graves’ disease, for example, he knows how many people develop the thyroid and how to cure them.
The value of thyroglobulin is a healthy person, with no changes in the thyroid gland, usually less than 10 ng / mL but can reach up to 40 ng / mL, in this way if the test result was due to these values, I could indicate the presence of a thyroid problem.
Although the test result should always be interpreted by the doctor who requested it, the results generally mean:
If a certain type of cancer treatment has been performed, if the high level of thyroglobulin is high, this may mean that treatment in the actual tube is developing as the cancer develops.
Although thyroglobulin is elevated in case of cancer, this test is not used to confirm the presence of cancer, in case of suspicion a biopsy would not be necessary to confirm the cancer, as it recognizes the main symptoms that may indicate thyroid cancer.
Because this test is done in people who have a thyroid modification, when the value is low, it means that the cause is treated and the gland produces less thyroglobulin.
However, if there is no thyroid problem and the value is considered too low, it could also indicate a case of hypothyroidism, even if these cases are very rare.
The test is very simple to take, if you only need a small blood sample.
In most cases no preparation is required, but depending on the technique that can be used to perform the test, some laboratories may recommend stopping intake of certain vitamin supplements, such as those containing vitamin B7, for example 12 hours before. the test.