Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30963467›Full record

ArticleJournal of endocrinological investigation2019

Surveillance of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and indeterminate response: a longitudinal study on basal thyroglobulin trend.

P Malandrino, D Tumino, M Russo, S Marescalco, R A Fulco, F Frasca

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

P MalandrinoEndocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy. p.malandrino@unict.it.
D TuminoEndocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy.
M RussoEndocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy.
S MarescalcoClinical Pathology, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy.
R A FulcoClinical Pathology, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy.
F FrascaEndocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Garibaldi-Nesima Medical Center, Via Palermo 636, 95122, Catania, Italy.
Ospedale Garibaldi · ITUniversity of Catania · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis is a longitudinal study of retrospective data aimed at verifying whether repeated measurements of serum non-stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) allow the prediction of persistent disease in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and indeterminate response.

methodsWe examined 145 DTC patients with indeterminate response to therapy followed up for a median time of 68 months. Tg measurements and neck ultrasound (US) were performed every 6-12 months. The changes over time of repeated measurements of basal Tg were analyzed through the multilevel linear regression.

resultsSeventy (48.3%) out of 145 patients spontaneously achieved an excellent response, while persistent indeterminate response was observed in 62 (42.7%) patients. The remaining 13 (9.0%) patients had progression: 3/13 with biochemical disease and 10/13 with structural disease. Tg steadily increased in patients with progressive disease (mean percentage change + 27.1% at each follow-up visit), while Tg decreased in patients without any evidence of progression (mean percentage change - 8.8%). This different trend between the two groups was not related to either different values of median TSH at baseline (0.32 vs 0.28 mIU/l, respectively) or to different trend of TSH during follow-up (p = 0.76). Basal Tg values did not increase in three out of ten patients with structural disease that was identified by neck US.

conclusionsThe importance of the study is that, in DTC patients with indeterminate response, rising values of unstimulated Tg, independently from the basal levels, may be useful to identify patients with progressive disease. These results are also useful to avoid unnecessary TSH stimulation.

Indexed as

AdenocarcinomaAdultAgedDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedMonitoring, PhysiologicPrognosisReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective StudiesThyroglobulinThyroid Function TestsThyroid NeoplasmsThyroglobulinIndeterminate responseOngoing riskThyroglobulinThyroid cancerUltrasensitive assay

Identifiers

PMID30963467
OpenAlexW2939950069

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.