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The study objective: to assess the diagnostic value of measuring the concentration of thyroglobulin (Tg) in the washout fluid of the fine needle aspiration (FNA) for the detection of well-differentiated thyroid cancer regional metastases.Material and Methods. The study included 64 patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Ultrasound examination revealed 71 enlarged regional lymph nodes. The patients underwent simultaneous FNA cytology examination of lymph nodes and the study of Tg concentration in the washout fluid of the needle aspiration. Regional lymph node metastases were verified in 38 patients. These patients underwent surgery. Histological examination of surgical specimens was performed in 43 out of 71 cases.Results. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the FNA biopsy and the study of the concentration of thyroglobulin in the in the washout fluid of FNA were 88.5 %, 56.3 %, 76.2 % and 100 %, respectively. The rate of false-positive results of thyroid FNA biopsy was 16 %. The optimal cutoff value for FNA-Tg measurement was 4 g/ml. This made it possible to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the method to 100 %. It was found that the presence of circulating antibodies to Tg in the blood serum had no effect on the diagnostic value of FNA-Tg measurement (p=0.421). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of thyroglobulin in the in the washout fluid of FNA between patients with Tg concentration above and below the cutoff values (3.9 [0.47; 39.9] ng/ ml vs 12.3 [0.57; 294.8] ng/ml).

Introduction. Thyroid cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms of the endocrine system. well-differentiated thyroid cancer constitutes about 90 % of all malignant tumors of the thyroid gland. Despite growing morbidity and high incidence of this pathology, in case of timely diagnosis and treatment well-differentiated thyroid cancer has favorable prognosis.Aim. using clinical examples, to demonstrate the possibility of thyroglobulin measurement in needle washouts of fineneedle aspiration biopsy in the detection of cervical metastases of highly differentiated thyroid cancer.Materials and methods. five patients (2 patients with combined oncological pathology, 2 patients with nodes in the thyroid gland, 1 patient after a thyroidectomy) with cervical adenopathy measured the level of thyroglobulin in the wash out fluid of lymph-nodes biopsy using the immunoradiometric method using the commercial kits of the Institute of Isotopes-IRmA (Hungary).Results. Cervical metastases of highly differentiated thyroid cancer were detected or excluded by the determination of fine-needle aspiration biopsy in patients with non-informational cytological studies. The determination of fineneedle aspiration biopsy is a useful diagnostic method in the differential diagnosis of cervical metastases in patients who have other morphological forms of cancer in addition to well-differentiated thyroid cancer, as well as for the differential diagnosis of cervical adenopathy in patients with a history of highly differentiated thyroid cancer.Conclusion. Determination of thyroglobulin level in puncture needle washout is a simple and useful diagnostic method for differential diagnosis of metastases in lymph nodes of the neck in patients with several morphological forms of malignant tumors.

Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The first two cases were reported by Jakob Erdheim and William Chester in 1930. The etiology and disease incidence are unknown. One of the main components of this disorder is a chronic uncontrollable inflammation. In 2016 ECD was classified as histiocytic neoplasm by the World Health Organization and was categorized as “tumors of histiocytes and dendritic cells”. More than half of patients testing positive for the BRAF mutation. The final diagnosis is made on the basis of histological finding. There are radiological markers indicating a possible association with the disease. This is a specific, almost pathognomonic scintigraphic picture of the skeleton, “coated” aorta, “hairy” kidney patterns on computer tomography. There is a Erdheim–Chester Disease Global Alliance (ECDGA), which try to unite and provide with information about diagnostics and treatment of this rare disease both patients and doctors. Today, there are 571 registered patients and only one from Russia. We demonstrate three clinical cases of patients with newly diagnosed ECD and the role of nuclear medicine methods in assessing the prevalence of this disease.

The study objective: using a clinical example to demonstrate possibilities of single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in combination with computed tomography (CT) in identifying latent bone metastases, taking into account the dynamics growth of serum basal calcitonin.Materials and methods. Patient S., 60 years old, visited N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology for consultation on multiple lung metastases of cancer of unknown primary.Results. Taking into account basal calcitonin level, immunohistochemistry, ultrasound investigation andfine-needle aspiration biopsy of the node in the right thyroid lobe a diagnose of medullary thyroid cancer was made. CT revealed multiple metastases in both lungs. Specialist erformed thyroidectomy with central lymphadenectomy and facial neck dissection on both sides. During next four months basal calcitonin level increased twice. Control contrast CT lung screening showed the growth of previously identified metastases and the appearance of multiple new ones. Bone scan showed focuses of increased radio-pharmaceutical accumulation in the area of 7h left rib, left iliac wing, in the left bones of cranial vault, in C7, Th6, Th9, ThI2 vertebrae and right foot bones. Additional examination using SPECT/CT (from the skull base to the hip joints) revealed metastases in corpuses of Th9, ThI2 vertebrae and the left iliac wing, and suspicion for metastasis in 7h left rib. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed metastasis in Th9, ThI2, L3 vertebral bodies and in the left iliac wing.Conclusion. Conclusion. In this clinical example, SPECT/CT allowed to correctly detect metastases in both Th9 and ThI2 vertebrae while bone scan was questionable, and MRI showed an additional damage of L3 vertebra. Changes in the 7h left rib could not be verified using CT, although this changes may be an emerging metastasis. Obviously, extensive use of radiation methods does not guarantee complete identification of all pathological focuses, it therefore allows assessing the prevalence of the pathological process. It is crucially important to control calcitonin level in these patients, since its rapid growth allowed suspecting additional distant metastases.