Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{193951,
        author = {SEERAT MANZOOR and MOUSIN NISSAR AHANGER and SADAF ABUSAD and ABID HUSSAIN and RIFAT ATAULLAH and SONU CHOUHAN},
        title = {Role of PET/CT in Molecular Imaging of Thyroid Cancer: A Comprehensive Review},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {2426-2433},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=193951},
        abstract = {Background: Thyroid cancer represents the most common endocrine malignancy, with a steadily increasing global incidence. While thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine therapy achieves effective disease control in most patients, a substantial subset develops recurrent, metastatic, or radioiodine-refractory disease requiring advanced imaging strategies. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has emerged as a key hybrid modality, combining metabolic information with precise anatomical localisation to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Objective: This review evaluates the established and emerging roles of PET/CT across major thyroid cancer subtypes — differentiated thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and radioiodine-refractory disease — with emphasis on radiotracer selection, clinical indications, diagnostic performance, impact on therapeutic decision-making, and theranostic potential.
Methods: A structured literature search was performed using databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published between January 2009 and February 2026. Search terms incorporated controlled vocabulary and keywords related to PET/CT, thyroid malignancies, molecular imaging, FDG, TENIS syndrome, radioiodine-refractory disease, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and fibroblast activation protein inhibitors. After applying predefined eligibility criteria, 42 studies were included for qualitative synthesis.
Results: FDG PET/CT was able to detect recurrent thyroid cancer with good accuracy, correctly identifying disease in most patients and helping doctors change treatment plans in about half of the cases. DOTATATE PET/CT showed useful detection rates in medullary thyroid cancer and helped in selecting patients for targeted radionuclide therapy. New FAPI-based tracers appear promising, especially in patients whose cancer does not take up iodine or is not clearly seen on FDG scans. Increasing TSH levels before FDG PET/CT improved the chances of finding cancer during follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer.
Conclusion: Appropriate radiotracer selection guided by tumour biology and clinical context is critical for optimal PET/CT utilisation in thyroid oncology. Integration of PET/CT into multidisciplinary care pathways, adherence to evidence-based protocols, and expansion of theranostic strategies are expected to further improve patient outcomes. Future directions include artificial-intelligence-assisted image interpretation, receptor-targeted tracers, and broader application of PET/MRI in personalised thyroid cancer management.},
        keywords = {PET/CT; Thyroid Cancer; Molecular Imaging; FDG; TENIS Syndrome; Radioiodine-Refractory; DOTATATE; FAPI; Theranostics; Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma; Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma; Nuclear Medicine},
        month = {March},
        }