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If you have had a thyroidectomy, your doctor will use two primary tests to check
if the cancer has come back or spread to other parts of your body. One is a blood
test (called thyroglobulin test or Tg test) and the other is called a whole body
scan (or WBS). Your doctor may decide to test you with both tests, or sometimes
with just the blood test.
What is a thyroglobulin test?
A thyroglobulin test is a blood test that measures the amount of thyroglobulin, a
protein that stores thyroid hormone, in your blood. Thyroid cells are the only
cells in your body that make thyroglobulin. So, if thyroglobulin shows up in your
blood test, then you know that thyroid cells or thyroid cancer cells are present
somewhere in your body.
What is a whole body scan?
Another test that checks for the return or spread of the cancer is called a whole
body scan, or WBS. In this test, you will be asked to take a capsule or drink with
a small, safe amount of
radioactivity, called 131I (radioiodine one-three-one). After you have taken the
capsule or drink, you will lie down under a large camera that takes an x-ray
picture (scan) of your body. If any thyroid cells are present in your body, they
will show up as spots on the film.
If testing sounds tricky, now's the time to find out how testing will affect you.
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