Table 2.
Detection strategies in thyroid cancers
| Method | Principle | Frequency | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultrasonography | Use ultrasound to present the internal image of opaque objects | Always | Detection of residual thyroid cancer in cervical lymph nodes or soft tissue | Unclear imaging, difficult qualitative, inaccurate quantitative |
| FNAB | A sterile puncture needle was used to puncture the suspicious part of the nodule, and some nodule components were extracted for cytological and pathological examination | Always | Differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid nodules and diffuse goiter | Too few materials to know whether the blood vessels and capsule are invaded at the same time |
| CT | The optical signal is changed into an electrical signal, then into a digital signal, and finally into a computer picture | Always | Preoperative staging, monitoring, re staging, location of metastatic disease and continuous monitoring of progression and treatment response of thyroid cancer | Difficult to find small lesions with little or no density change |
| MRI | Based on the low diffusion coefficient of water molecules in high cell tissues | Often | Helpful to detect lymph node involvement and lymph node metastasis before operation | Expensive equipment, long time to image and limited patients |
| Radioiodine imaging | TSH stimulates iodine uptake in residual normal and malignant thyroid tissues | Often | Identify, locate and monitor the progress or treatment response of iodine preference metastasis in differentiated thyroid cancer | Needed TSH to stimulate iodine uptake in residual normal and malignant thyroid tissues |
| 123Ι/131Ι/99mTc Thyroid Scintigraphy | Effective concentration of iodine based on thyroid follicular cells | Often | The only evidence of autonomic functional thyroid nodules | Uncertain to hyper-functional nodules |
| FDG-PET | Based on the mutual annihilation of positrons and electrons, two high-energy 511 keV photons are released in the opposite direction | Often | Evaluation of thyroid cancer recurrence and for systemic and focal dosimetry | Limitation for patients with newly discovered thyroid nodules or thyroid diseases were evaluated |