# Dynamic Thyroglobulin Ratio as a Biomarker to Identify Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients Who Would Benefit from a Low-Iodine Diet

## TL;DR

This study shows that a low-iodine diet helps some thyroid cancer patients based on how much thyroglobulin they release after radiation therapy.

## Contribution

The study introduces the dynamic thyroglobulin ratio as a novel biomarker to identify PTC patients who benefit from a low-iodine diet.

## Key findings

- Patients with good low-iodine diet adherence had significantly higher thyroglobulin ratios after RAI therapy.
- LID adherence was independently associated with improved therapeutic response in patients with a thyroglobulin ratio greater than 1.
- No association between LID adherence and response was found in patients with a thyroglobulin ratio of 1 or less.

## Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess whether low-iodine diet (LID) adherence is associated with therapeutic response in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), specifically in relation to post-therapeutic thyroglobulin (Tg) release as a surrogate marker for the acute radiation-induced response following radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. Methods: This retrospective study included 895 patients with PTC treated with RAI. LID adherence was assessed using the urine iodine-to-creatinine (I/Cr) ratio, with <66.2 μg/g Cr defined as good adherence. The Tg ratio (ratioTg), calculated by dividing post-RAI Tg (measured 7 days after RAI) by pre-RAI Tg, was used to reflect the magnitude of the radiation-induced Tg release. Patients were stratified by ratioTg (≤1 vs. >1), and associations between LID adherence and therapeutic response were analyzed within each group. Results: Well-adherent patients exhibited significantly higher ratioTg compared to poorly adherent patients (15.7 ± 2.2 vs. 8.9 ± 1.3, p = 0.007). Among patients with ratioTg > 1 (n = 630), LID adherence was independently associated with improved therapeutic response (OR, 2.004; 95% CI, 1.270–3.162; p = 0.003). No such association was observed in patients with ratioTg ≤ 1 (n = 265; p = 0.546). Conclusions: The clinical benefit of LID appears to depend on the presence of a certain magnitude of radiation-induced Tg release. RatioTg may serve as a useful marker for identifying patients likely to benefit from LID.