With the development of socio-economic level and the advancement of medical treatment, “thyroid nodules” are becoming more and more common and are detected earlier, most of them are usually painless and are detected during ultrasound examinations during routine medical checkups. “Thyroid nodules have become a common disease around us. We all recognize that ultrasound is an important part of the detection and follow-up of thyroid nodules. However, is ultrasound alone sufficient to fully evaluate thyroid nodules? Obviously not enough! For the evaluation of thyroid nodules, blood laboratory tests are also very important. What are the main tests for a blood test? Currently, the main blood tests for thyroid nodules are thyroid function, thyroid-related antibodies, thyroglobulin, etc. A few units also check calcitonin. Let’s take a look at what the actual test report looks like. The thyroid function test sheet is a common thyroid function test sheet, looking at so many tongue-twisting medical terms, you do not need to panic first, the items in it can be divided into two major parts of the content of a variety of thyroid hormones, we just remember that with the letter T, followed by the number 3 or 4 are thyroid hormones (including T3, FT3, T4, FT4 four), these numbers As long as these numbers exceed the normal reference value, it means that there is too much thyroid hormone (which can be simply and commonly understood as “hyperthyroidism”), and below the normal range, it also means that there is not enough thyroid hormone (which can be simply and commonly understood as “hypothyroidism”); the other one is called thyrotropin (TSH). Thyrotropin (TSH) is a hormone that regulates thyroid function, and its trend of responding to thyroid function is the opposite of thyroid hormones. “). TSH is more sensitive than thyroid hormones in reflecting thyroid function, and can give us “early warning” of abnormal thyroid function. If there is a problem with a machine, the first thing we need to know is whether it is working properly and how well it is performing! Similarly, if we have a nodule in the thyroid, we need to check the above items so that we can see how well the thyroid is working! Common thyroid-related immunology test report form is a common thyroid-related serum immunology test. Again, you can ignore the full Chinese name of the awkward medical term on the test form. Simply look at the abbreviations. An elevated TPO (TPOAb in some units) indicates that the thyroid gland is under immune attack, often seen in thyroiditis, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Globulin. The level of thyroglobulin can partially reflect the status of the thyroid gland itself. Although it is not directly helpful in determining the benignity or malignancy of thyroid nodules, it is a crucial indicator for patients who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer! Generally speaking, thyroglobulin is at a relatively low level after regular treatment of thyroid cancer patients. If elevated TG is found during the review process, it indicates the possibility of tumor recurrence. In addition to the above common tests, the following tests are sometimes done, such as TSH receptor antibody (abbreviated as TRAb), which is mainly used to identify the cause of “hyperthyroidism” and is usually not used as a routine test for thyroid nodules. Elevated calcitonin (CT) is often associated with a relatively rare type of thyroid malignancy, medullary carcinoma, but because this type of tumor is rare, it is also not a routine blood test for thyroid nodules. There are no blood tumor markers associated with thyroid cancer that can be used for screening. In summary, after finding a thyroid nodule, in addition to having an ultrasound to get a general idea of its morphology, blood should be drawn to understand the working status of the thyroid gland itself. Although blood sampling cannot directly determine the benignity or malignancy of a thyroid nodule, it can help the doctor to fully assess the further management of the nodule after it is found. For example, if a thyroid nodule is combined with an abnormal thyroid function, then it is not simply a matter of regular follow-up and observation. Always, please keep in mind that ultrasound and blood tests are the basis for a comprehensive assessment of how to further manage thyroid nodules.