Early treatment response following Iodine-131 therapy in pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma and the prognostic value of thyroglobulin

Do Thi Hang Na, Pham Lam Son, Nguyen Quang Toan, Nguyen The Tan, Le Quang Hien, Pham Van Thai

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Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the early response following the first I-131 treatment and determined the prognostic value of pre-therapeutic stimulated Thyroglobulin (Tg) levels in pediatric patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. 50 patients under 18 years of age at K Hospital from November 2019 to February 2026 were included in the investigation. The excellent response rate after the initial I-131 dose was 34.0%. Pre-therapeutic stimulated Tg levels significantly correlated with treatment outcomes, showing a clear downward trend in the excellent response rate as Tg levels increased (p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis identified Tg as an independent predictor of response. Furthermore, ROC analysis demonstrated that Tg has a strong discriminative capacity between response groups (AUC = 0.882; 95% CI: 0.791 - 0.974), with an optimal cutoff value of 7.30 ng/mL (sensitivity 88.2%, specificity 69.7%). In conclusion, pre-therapeutic stimulated Tg concentration is a valuable prognostic factor for predicting early response to I-131 therapy in pediatric patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

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References

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