Re: negative Tg with thyroid, negative without???--Ginger

October 18, 2001

Ginger,

What do you mean by " negative " Tg readings--not there or less than zero? If

your tests before thyroidectomy showed that you didn't have any Tg, then maybe

you have antithyroglobulin antibodies which made the test read as zero ( or less

than the amount the lab can detect) but which does not indicate that

thyroglobulin wasn't really there. Did they report a number for

Antithyroglobulin antibodies as well? Even if they didn't, you might want to

ask your doctor if this is the case.

If you do have antithyroglobulin antibodies, your doctor would probably still

take Tg readings because after thyroidectomy some portion of the population who

have antiTg antibodies lose the antibodies. At that point Tg readings would be

useful. Perhaps this has happened to you? Ask if your antiTg antibodies have

disappeared. If they haven't, then you're right to wonder why you are being

followed by Tg alone, rather than Tg and scan. If you still have antiTg

antibodies (if that was the case to begin with) and you are not being scanned,

maybe you should consider consulting an endo who has more thyca experience.

Of course, just because I never heard of someone with a functioning thyroid who

wasn't producing thyroglobulin doesn't mean that it doesn't happen all the time.

Not producing thyroglobulin while having an entire functioning thyroid (rather

than not having Tg show up in a test because of antiTg antibodies) would

certainly entitle you to get a really really good explanation from your doctor

about what is going on with you, since I think that would be a really really

unusual situation.

hcc, pt8/00, tt1/01, RAI 150mCi 3/01

rosenberg543@... wrote: Hi Group,

I have a quesiton that concerns me. Hope someone can help out.

My doctor is watching for recurrence by Tg levels. I looked back at

some old bloodwork done just before my surgery and my Tg was

negative. This tells me that I was not making Tg with a thyroid. If

this is the case, and the cancer comes back, what good is this test

to me? If they(Tg) were not there before, they(Tg) won't be if the

cancer comes back now.

Has anyone experienced this before?

Ginger

1.7 cm...papillary...tt 5/00

For more information regarding thyroid cancer visit www.thyca.org. If you do not

wish to belong to this group, you may UNSUBSCRIBE by sending a blank email to

thyca-unsubscribe

October 19, 2001

Ginger,

I learn something everyday. I didn't think it was possible and still suspect

it must be a quirk of testing, but you've got the test results.

To return to the original question: yes, if your thyroid never produced Tg (or

it could never be measured), it does seem suspect to try to follow-up with Tg

levels alone. You deserve a good explanantion for this one, and the most likely

person to be able to provide that information is your doctor.

I just read your posting to Jill--you're not only not being followed up with

scan, have never received RAI, you aren't TSH suppressed either? What an

unusual thyca protocol you are following! Perhaps you could ask your doctor why

you're being treated, or not treated, so differently from the other run of the

mill thyca patients. The way you are being treated does not mean that you will

suffer a recurrance of your thyca, but it does mean that if you do you won't be

able to detect it as quickly . No RAI and no TSH suppression up the possibility

of return, too. Is there a reason for no RAI and no TSH suppression? There may

be. If you're doctor hasn't made clear to you why you are handling the thyca

this way, maybe it would be worth a session to review his reasoning with him.

rosenberg543@... wrote: ,

I went searching through my blood work and here is what I have

found. I did have the anti-Tg test done as well and it was <0.3

range...0.0-2.0, also had anti-TPO 0.7 range...0.0-2.0, my

thyroglobulin <0.5 range...2.3-52.5

What I was told by the results of these test is that they are

negative. The thyroglobulin and the anti-Tg were also the same before

my tt.

Ginger

Hi Group,

>

> I have a quesiton that concerns me. Hope someone can help out.

>

> My doctor is watching for recurrence by Tg levels. I looked back at

> some old bloodwork done just before my surgery and my Tg was

> negative. This tells me that I was not making Tg with a thyroid. If

> this is the case, and the cancer comes back, what good is this test

> to me? If they(Tg) were not there before, they(Tg) won't be if the

> cancer comes back now.

>

> Has anyone experienced this before?

>

> Ginger

> 1.7 cm...papillary...tt 5/00

>

> For more information regarding thyroid cancer visit www.thyca.org.

If you do not wish to belong to this group, you may UNSUBSCRIBE by

sending a blank email to thyca-unsubscribe@y...

>

October 19, 2001

,

As odd as it may be, my doctor didn't feel in my case that I needed

RAI and he said he doesn't scan someone who he does not treat with

RAI is the reasoning for only following me with the other stuff

(chest x-ray, blood work, and ultrasound). I just happen to stumble

across that info on my Tg just the other day. I have e-mailed my

doctor and I haven't heard back from him yet. This is odd because I

usually always hear back the same day. So I have given him a few

days to pull my chart and all. But I am going to resend today (I was

only giving him until yesterday to get back to me). So in the mean

time I thought I would ask you guys about it. I was hoping to have

caught the doctors attention on this one, but I guess I didn't. Oh

well. Thanks for your input on the matter.

Ginger

- In Thyca@y..., Kees <kees_s@y...> wrote:

>

> Ginger,

> I learn something everyday. I didn't think it was possible and

still suspect it must be a quirk of testing, but you've got the test

results.

> To return to the original question: yes, if your thyroid never

produced Tg (or it could never be measured), it does seem suspect to

try to follow-up with Tg levels alone. You deserve a good

explanantion for this one, and the most likely person to be able to

provide that information is your doctor.

> I just read your posting to Jill--you're not only not being

followed up with scan, have never received RAI, you aren't TSH

suppressed either? What an unusual thyca protocol you are

following! Perhaps you could ask your doctor why you're being

treated, or not treated, so differently from the other run of the

mill thyca patients. The way you are being treated does not mean

that you will suffer a recurrance of your thyca, but it does mean

that if you do you won't be able to detect it as quickly . No RAI

and no TSH suppression up the possibility of return, too. Is there a

reason for no RAI and no TSH suppression? There may be. If you're

doctor hasn't made clear to you why you are handling the thyca this

way, maybe it would be worth a session to review his reasoning with

him.

>

> rosenberg543@y... wrote: ,

>

> I went searching through my blood work and here is what I have

> found. I did have the anti-Tg test done as well and it was <0.3

> range...0.0-2.0, also had anti-TPO 0.7 range...0.0-2.0, my

> thyroglobulin <0.5 range...2.3-52.5

>

> What I was told by the results of these test is that they are

> negative. The thyroglobulin and the anti-Tg were also the same

before

> my tt.

>

> Ginger

>

> Hi Group,

> >

> > I have a quesiton that concerns me. Hope someone can help out.

> >

> > My doctor is watching for recurrence by Tg levels. I looked back

at

> > some old bloodwork done just before my surgery and my Tg was

> > negative. This tells me that I was not making Tg with a thyroid.

If

> > this is the case, and the cancer comes back, what good is this

test

> > to me? If they(Tg) were not there before, they(Tg) won't be if

the

> > cancer comes back now.

> >

> > Has anyone experienced this before?

> >

> > Ginger

> > 1.7 cm...papillary...tt 5/00

> >

> > For more information regarding thyroid cancer visit

www.thyca.org.

> If you do not wish to belong to this group, you may UNSUBSCRIBE by

> sending a blank email to thyca-unsubscribe@y...

> >

October 19, 2001

Ginger,

I don't think Tg works as an indicator of thyca if you haven't had RAI ablation,

since you could have normal thyroid tissue left behind producing Tg. But if you

never had Tg to begin with, I don't know how it would be any good at all. It's

throwing away money and giving the doctor, if not you, a false sense that

something is being done to follow you. I may have this all wrong, but I don't

think so.

At least you are getting the ultrasounds and chest x-ray. It's my understanding

that RAI scanning could find recurrances well before either of those methods.