Abstract

Background: When measuring thyroglobulin (Tg), simultaneous measurement of Tg autoantibodies (Ab) is recommended by clinical guidelines for follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancers after thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine ablation. We aimed to investigate test utilization of Tg and Tg Ab assays in local clinics and hospitals in Korea.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from the laboratory information system between November 6, 2017 and December 31, 2019.
Results: During the study period, 10,551 Tg tests were performed on 2,592 Korean adults from 97 local clinics and hospitals. Among them, 3,924 (37.2%) test results lacked concurrent Tg Ab assays, while 6,627 test results had concurrently measured Tg Ab, and 528 (8.0%) showed positive Tg Ab results, which could interfere with measurement of Tg concentration.
Conclusions: The results of this study provide basic information regarding test utilization of Tg Ab assays to improve test utilization for accurate Tg measurement in Korean patients.

DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2020.200802