Imaging/X-Ray

Thyroid nuclear scan. This is an imaging test to see if the nodule is active ("hot") or inactive ("cold"). A small amount of radioactive material is either swallowed or given intravenously. The thyroid gland takes up the radioactive chemical. An active nodule that produces thyroid hormone would pick up radioactive tracer and show up on X-ray film. Such an active (hot) nodule is usually benign (non-cancerous). If little or no tracer is picked up, then the nodule is cold and more likely cancer.

Specialized X-ray tests, such as a CAT scan and an MRI, can visualize a tumor in the liver itself, and a magnetic resonance angiography will outline the blood vessels in and around the tumor. A laparoscopic evaluation (a small fiberoptic tube inserted under anesthesia into the abdominal cavity to provide a visual examination) may detect metastatic disease or involvement of both liver sections (lobes), which may reduce the need for more involved surgery.

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.