Early Diagnosis of Medullary Carcinoma of the Thyroid Gland by Means of Calcitonin Assay

The genetic basis of hereditary medullary thyroid cancer: clinical implications for the surgeon, with a particular emphasis on the role of prophylactic thyroidectomy

“…MTC can be diagnosed before being clinically evident (presymptomatic diagnosis) based on increased basal calcitonin levels (Melvin et al 1971). In the study by Niccoli-Sire et al (2003), when a basal calcitonin level was elevated, all but one patient had MTC and nodal metastases were found in 37.1% of the patients.…”

The regulation of calcitonin in normal human plasma as assessed by immunoprecipitation and immunoextraction.

“…11 illustrates the mean changes in this study; calcium fell from 9.3 (±0.1) to 7.2 (±0.2) mg/dl; calcitonin fell from 12.5 (±-3.7) to 10.4 (±-2.7) pg/ml. noma, the secretion of this hormone has not been extensively studied in normal subjects (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Accordingly, to pursue such studies, we have developed an immunoprecipitation and immunoextraction procedure which was used to concentrate the calcitonin contained in peripheral blood samples (Fig.…”

Medullary Carcinoma of the Thyroid Gland

“…It was also suggested that, by carrying out serial plasma calcitonin estimations, tumour recurrence and metastases might be detected at an early stage (Cunliffe et al, 1968). These hypotheses have subsequently been shown to be correct (Deftos and Potts, 1970;Melvin et al, 1971;Deftos, 1974). Although elevated plasma levels of calcitonin have been demonstrated in a number of patients (Table II), these estimations were all carried out after the diagnosis of medullary carcinoma had been made histologically.…”