What is the value of TSH if the patient has thyroid cancer.?

Question

What would be the value of TSH for thyroid cancer.

Can thyroid cancer be detected by blood test and TSH value. Can a higher value of TSH (10) be a concern for cancer?

Answer 1

TSH is useless in detecting thyroid cancer...but is very important after you have started supressive therapy (for papillary and follicular). A TSH higher than 3.3 is considered to be hypothyroid and you will be started on a thyroid hormone (synthroid or other).

Good luck!

Check these sites for even more info:

www.endocrinewbe.com

www.thyroid.org

www.thyca.org

Answer 2

Need to be more specific for a precise answer. As you know TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and mostly in hypothyroid states but there are several other reasons as well. There are certain cancers of the thyroid gland which are independent of TSH and if the thyroid has been removed and or irradiated because of cancer the high TSH indicates that replacement thyroid hormone therapy needs to be optimised in consultation with the doctor in the light how the patient is doing clinically.

Answer 3

Currently, the recommended reference range for TSH is from approximately 0.3 to 3.0. recommendations by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

What is a Reference Range?

Reference range is a critical component, and the validity of the entire TSH test as diagnostic tool depends on it. A TSH reference range is obtained by taking a large group of people in the population, measuring their TSH levels, and calculating a mean value. Supposedly, these people should be free of thyroid disease, so that the level represents the mean TSH of a typical thyroid disease-free person in the population. The reference range is what determines whether or not thyroid disease is even diagnosed at all, much less treated, and when it is diagnosed, how it is treated.

Currently, at most laboratories in the U.S., the reference range for TSH tests is approximately 0.5 to 5.0. Depending on the lab, you may seem some variations, i.e., 0.4 to 5.5, or 0.6 to 5.7, etc., but generally, 0.5 to 5.0 is considered typical of many labs.

Typically, doctors interpret levels below 0.5 as indicative of hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), and levels above 5.0 as indicative of hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid.)

TSH 10 level is certainly not adviseable and the danger of thyroid cancer can not be ruled out. -