THYROGLOBULIN ELISA

Features

European Union: for in vitro diagnostic use

Rest of the world: for research use only!

The total assay time is less than 3 hours

Quantitative determination of thyroglobulin concentration in human serum

Assay format is 96 wells

Calibrators are ready to use

For routine analysis

Research topic

Oncology, Others

Summary

Thyroglobulin (TG), a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 660,000 Daltons, is the thyroid’s main iodine protein and the most important compound of follicular colloid. Thyroglobulin is the form under which the active hormones T3 and T4 together with their immediate forerunners MIT and applications of the TG dosage seem to originate from its specificity for the thyroid and related cells. The dosage of TG can be used as support to scintigraphies or other techniques for studying pathogenesis, making a diagnosis and analyzing the course of thyroid disorders. The dosage of TG before and after replacement treatment with L-Thyroxin cannot be established in cases of hypothyroidism due to thyroid agenesis. In cases of secondary hypothyroidism with a dysglandular goiter or ectopic thyroid, the levels of TG are normal or high. The circulating levels of TG tend to increase in several thyroid disorders such as toxic and atoxic goiter, subacute thyroiditis, Basedow’s disease and carcinoma. In Basedow’s disease the TG dosage is a potentially interesting index of normalization of hyperthyroidism in patients treated with anti-thyroid drugs. In the oncology field and more specifically for differentiated thyroid carcinoma, there are very promising applications linked to the ability of thyroid tumors tissues to concentrate iodine and synthesize TG as a normal thyroid. Basically the dosage of TG can be used as follows: a. Pre-operating diagnosis of thyroid tumors. This application does not allow the differentiated diagnosis of the tumor as the values of TG seen in malignant and benign nodules are superimposable. b. Post-operation monitoring In patients treated surgically or with radiotherapy, long lasting TG levels suggest the presence of a residual carcinoma and/or carcinoma with metastasis. c. Monitoring of totally thyroidectomized patients The use of circulating TG as an indicator of recurrent tumors (metastasis marker) has an established clinical value: the increase of Thyroglobulinaemia indicates the need to undergo further analysis for confirming the diagnosis. Interesting advantages can come from: a) a reduced use of scintigraphic diagnostic techniques as they imply regular suspension of replacement treatment and frequent exposure to radiation, b) and complete completion of the information obtained via scintigraphy.