OUTCOME OF 249 PATIENTS ATTENDING A NUCLEAR-MEDICINE DEPARTMENT WITH WELL-DIFFERENTIATED THYROID-CANCER - A 23 YEAR REVIEW

249 patients with well differentiated thyroid cancer attended the Nucl ear Medicine Department of the Royal Liverpool Hospital (formerly hous ed at the Liverpool Clinic) from 1967 to 1990. Papillary carcinoma was histologically evident in 68% of patients and follicular carcinoma in 32%. Fifteen percent of all patients died of their cancer. The extent of initial surgery did not appear to influence the recurrence of dise ase, nor the patient survival. Univariate analysis showed that males h ad a worse survival rate than females during the 5 years after diagnos is but thereafter survival rates were similar. Multivariate analysis i ndicated that unfavourable survival factors were ''age over 45 years a t diagnosis'' and ''presence of distal metastases''. Survival was not significantly different with or without I-131 ablation where there wer e no distal metastases. Outcome of pregnancy after I-131 ablation gave no cause for concern. No serious complications were observed followin g I-131 therapy. Serum thyroglobulin tests were introduced only half w ay through the review period and were helpful in predicting the presen ce of tumour recurrence but these data are to be discussed in another communication.