Thyroid cancer treatment improved with SPECT/CT imaging

The use of single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging is changing the clinical management in a significant number of thyroid cancer patients, according to research in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Information obtained from these scans not only helps determine the need for radioiodine therapy or alternative options, but also impacts the long-term follow-up strategy. "In this article, I aimed to highlight the role of radioiodine imaging in risk stratification of patients with thyroid cancer and to assess the contribution it brings to the completion of staging and the decision to omit or proceed with ... therapy," said Anca M. Avram, MD, author the study. She continued, "The new technology of SPECT/CT has substantially improved the interpretation of planar studies and can be implemented in the post-operative management protocols of thyroid cancer patients."