Concordance between thyroglobulin antibody assays.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Antithyroglobulin antibodies are a prevalent cause of interference in serum thyroglobulin immunoassays. Current guidelines recommend that antithyroglobulin antibodies should be measured concurrently with thyroglobulin when monitoring thyroid cancer patients post-thyroidectomy. However, the concordance between different antithyroglobulin assays has been questioned despite the availability of an international thyroglobulin antibody Reference Preparation.

METHODS:

Four antithyroglobulin assays currently in use in UK laboratories (Siemens Immulite(®), Brahms GmbH, PerkinElmer AutoDELFIA and Siemens ADVIA Centaur(®)) were compared in a cohort of 145 thyroid cancer patients.

RESULTS:

Using reference data provided by the kit manufacturer, concordance between the assays was 74%. Adjusting the cut-offs to maximize agreement increased concordance to 90%. Recovery of exogenous thyroglobulin using the Brahms Tg-plus immunoradiometric assay was neither a specific nor a sensitive test for the presence of a positive antibody result by any assay.

CONCLUSIONS:

Despite the availability of an international reference preparation, current antithyroglobulin assays show unacceptable variance.

• Authors: Kevin P Taylor, Damon Parkington, Sonia Bradbury, Helen L Simpson, Sarah J Jefferies, David J Halsall
• Journal: Annals of clinical biochemistry (Ann Clin Biochem) Vol. 48 Issue Pt 4 Pg. 367-9 (Jul 2011) ISSN: 1758-1001 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21502198 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Autoantibodies
• anti-thyroglobulin
• Thyroglobulin

Topics

• Autoantibodies (blood)
• Cohort Studies
• Humans
• Immunoassay (standards)
• Reference Standards
• Thyroglobulin (blood, immunology)
• Thyroid Neoplasms (blood, diagnosis, surgery)