Summary
This paper presents the results of the study of six patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MCT) and the epidemiological screening carried out on the families of individuals affected by MCT. Three patients had the familial and three the sporadic type of disease. In all the subjects the plasma calcitonin (CT) level was measured under basal conditions and after pentagastrin stimulation. Patients with familial disease were also found to have pheochromocytoma (MEA syndrome). One patient, whose thyroid was normal to palpation and radioisotope scanning and who did not have an elevated resting level of CT, showed a clearcut CT elevation after provocative testing and subsequently was shown, by surgery, to have a small nodule of C-cell hyperplasia. These results confirm that pentagastrin is a good stimulator of CT secretion and that i.v. administration of pentagastrin is a useful test in the investigation of MCT in its early subclinical stage.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkins F. L., Beaven M. A., Keiser H. R.: Dopa-decarboxylase in MCT — New Engl. J. Med.289, 545, 1973.
Baylin S. B., Beaven M. A., Engelman K., Sjoerdsma A.: Elevated histaminase activity in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland — New Engl. J. Med.283, 1239, 1970.
Donahower G. F., Schumacher O. P., Hazard J. B.: Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid; a cause of Cushing’s syndrome: report of two cases — J. clin. Endocr.28, 1199, 1968.
Hennessy J. F., Wells S. A. Jr.,Ontjes D. A., Cooper C. W.: A comparison of pentagastrin injection and calcium infusion as provocative agents for the detection of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid — J. clin. Endocr.39, 487, 1974.
Hill C. S. Jr.,Ibanez M. L., Samaan N. A., Ahearn M. J., Clark R. L.: Medullary (solid) carcinoma of the thyroid gland. An analysis of the M.D. Anderson Hospital experience with patients with the tumor, its special features, and its histogenesis — Medicine (Baltimore)52, 141, 1973.
Hillyard C. J., Evans I. M. A., Hill P. A.: Familial medullary thyroid carcinoma — Lanceti, 1009, 1978.
Ibanez M. L., Cole V. W., Russel W. O., Clark R. L.: Solid carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Analysis of 53 cases — Cancer20, 706, 1967.
Keyes W. M., Till A. S.: Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland — Quart. J. Med.40, 443, 1971.
Ljungberg O., Cederquist E., von Studnitz W.: Medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma: a familial chromaffinomatosis — Brit. med. J.i, 279, 1967.
Melvin K. E. W.: Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. In:Hershman J. M., Bray G. A. (Eds): The thyroid. Physiology and treatment of disease. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1979; p. 533.
Melvin K. E. W., Tashjian A. H. Jr.: The syndrome of excessive thyrocalcitonin produced by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid — Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.)59, 1216, 1968.
Stepanas A. V., Samaan N. A., Hill C. S. Jr.,Hickey R. C.: Medullary thyroid carcinoma. Importance of serial serum calcitonin measurement — Cancer43, 825, 1979.
Telenius-Berg M.: Diagnostic studies in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. New methods for early diagnosis in families with Sipple’s syndrome — Acta med. scand.199 (Suppl. 597), 1, 1976.
Williams E. D., Karim S. M. M., Sandler M.: Prostaglandin secretion by medullary carcinoma of the thyroid — Lanceti, 22, 1968.
Wolfe H. J., Melvin K. E. W., Cervi-Skinner S. J., Al Saadi A. A., Juliar J. F., Jackson C. E., Tashjian A. H. Jr.: C-cell hyperplasia preceding medullary thyroid carcinoma — New Engl. J. Med.289, 437, 1973.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Degli Uberti, E.C., Trasforini, G., Bagni, B. et al. Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. La Ricerca Clin. Lab. 11, 171–178 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886717
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886717