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Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands pp 235–247Cite as

Surgery for Medullary Thyroid Cancer

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Abstract

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a neuroendocrine malignancy of the calcitonin producing thyroid C cells, accounting for 5–10% of all thyroid cancers. While the majority of cases are sporadic (75%), hereditary syndromes account for 25% of all cases and should be considered whenever evaluating a patient. Compared to differentiated thyroid cancer, MTC is more aggressive yet remains a relatively indolent malignancy, with 10-year survival rates reported from 69% to 89%. Sporadic cases usually present with a palpable thyroid mass. Hereditary cases may be detected and treated on the basis of a genomic diagnosis once the syndrome is diagnosed in a family. Unlike differentiated thyroid cancer, there is no known effective systemic therapy for medullary thyroid cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Section of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8109, 660 S, Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Kathryn J. Rowland M.D. & Jeffrey F. Moley M.D.

Authors
  1. Kathryn J. Rowland M.D.
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  2. Jeffrey F. Moley M.D.
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Correspondence to Jeffrey F. Moley M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chairman, Department of Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Spitalstr. 21, Basel, 4031, Switzerland

    Daniel Oertli

  2. Yale-New Haven Hospital, Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, Cedar Street 330FMB 102, New Haven, CT, 06520-8062, USA

    Robert Udelsman

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Rowland, K.J., Moley, J.F. (2012). Surgery for Medullary Thyroid Cancer. In: Oertli, D., Udelsman, R. (eds) Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23459-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23459-0_18

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