Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer Patients May Not Need Postoperative LT4 Treatment
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the prevalence of normal thyroid function 3 years post-thyroidectomy among patients with thyroid cancer.
About one-third of differentiated thyroid cancer patients need levothyroxine (LT4) therapy within 3 years following hemithyroidectomy when postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels of up to 4 mIU/L are considered acceptable.
The study results were published in the European Thyroid Journal and suggest that hemithyroidectomy is increasingly used for low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
Guidelines recommend initiating LT4 when postoperative TSH exceeds 2 mIU/L to prevent TSH-mediated growth.
Author's summary: Low-risk thyroid cancer patients may not require LT4 treatment.