Letter Diagnostic Whole-Body Scan May Not Be Necessary for Intermediate-Risk Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer after Low-Dose (30 mCi) Radioactive Iodide Ablation

The initial treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is thyroidectomy, followed by remnant ablation with radioiodine (I-131). However, substantial uncertainty persists over the in-dications and optimal dose for I-131. In addition, the useful-ness of a follow-up diagnostic I-131 whole-body scan (WBS) performed within 6 to 12 months after initial therapy is con-troversial [1]. Although a diagnostic WBS is not recommend-ed for low-risk patients, it may be of value in the follow-up of patients with high or intermediate risk [2]. Since incidence of DTC and patients who undergo remnant ablation has been in-creasing rapidly, these issues are interesting and important to clinicians. Jeon and Jung [3] demonstrated that a postablation diagnostic I-131 WBS in intermediate-risk patients with DTC may not be necessary. Although the authors suggested their study results carefully, in my opinion, below mentioned poin