Can Preoperative Thyroglobulin Antibody Levels Be Used as a Marker for Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer?

Objectives:Evaluate whether the presence of preoperative thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) levels can help predict the final pathology of thyroid nodules. Assess whether higher levels of preoperative TgAb increase the likelihood that a thyroid nodule is malignant.Methods:A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent thyroidectomy in 3 McGill University-affiliated hospitals between January 2012 and 2014 was conducted. Demographic data, TgAb levels, and final histopathology were recorded. Patients were divided into 2 groups: TgAb positive (defined as TgAb ≥30 IU/mL) and TgAb low/negative (defined as TgAb <30). Micropapillary thyroid carcinomas were considered to be benign. These data were then statistically analyzed using SPSS.Results:Preoperative TgAb levels were available in 412 patients. There were 360 patients in the TgAb low/negative group (malignancy rate: 51.39%) and 52 patients in the TgAb positive group (malignancy rate: 65.38%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and neg...