Abstract
Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT) is a rare tumor which, since its identification by Hazard et al. [2] in 1959, has attracted interest for 2 reasons. First, the secretion of the tumor marker, thyrocalcitonin, provides a means of making the diagnosis of MCT before the tumor is clinically evident. Second, MCT may be associated with pheochromocytoma and parathyroid hyperplasia as the autosomal dominant familial syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type II (MEN II). MCT may occur sporadically. When MCT is encountered in the familial form the natural history varies from family to family and also in individuals within a specific kindred. This variation creates difficulties in management and in reaching the decision for an aggressive approach to surgical treatment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Taylor, S.: Thyroid medullary carcinoma. Ann. R. Coll. Surg. Engl.59:374, 1977
Hazard, J.B., Hawk, W.H., Crile, G., Jr.: Medullary (solid) carcinoma of the thyroid—a clinico-pathologic entity. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.19:152, 1959
Wermer, P.: Genetic aspects of adenomatosis of endocrine glands. Am. J. Med.16:363, 1954
Wermer, P.: Endocrine adenomatosis and peptic ulcer in a large kindred. Am. J. Med.35:205, 1963
Sipple, J.H.: The association of phaeochromocytoma with carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Am. J. Med.31:163, 1961
Williams, E.O.: A review of 17 cases of carcinoma of the thyroid and phaeochromocytoma. J. Clin. Pathol.18:288, 1965
Schimke, R.N., Hartmann, W.H.: Familial amyloidproducing medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. A distinct genetic entity. Ann. Intern. Med.63:1027, 1965
Manning, P.C., Molnan, G.D., Black, B.M., Priestly, J.T., Woolner, L.B.: Phaeochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism and thyroid cancer occurring coincidentally. N. Engl. J. Med.268:68, 1963
Steiner, A.L., Goodman, A.D., Powers, S.R.: Study of a kindred with phaeochromocytoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, hyperparathyroidism and Cushing's disease. Multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2. Medicine (Baltimore)47:371, 1968
Carney, J.A., Go, J.L., Sizemore, G.W., Hayles, A.B.: Alimentary tract ganglioneuromatosis. A major component of the syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2b. N. Engl. J. Med.295:1287, 1976
Pearse, A.G.E., Takor Takor, T.: Neuroendocrine embryology and the APUD concept. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf.)5 (suppl.):229S, 1976
Foster, G.V., MacIntyre, I., Pearse, A.G.E.: Calcitonin production and the nitochondrion-rich cells of the dog thyroid. Nature203:1029, 1964
Delellis, R.A., Nurmemacher, G., Wolfe, H.J.: C-cell hyperplasia: an ultra-structural analysis. Lab. Invest.36:237, 1977
Melvin, K.E.W., Miller, H.H., Tashjian, A.H., Jr: Early diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid by means of calcitonin assay. N. Engl. J. Med.285:1115, 1971
Carney, J.A., Sizemore, G.W., Hayles, A.B.: Multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2b. Pathobiol. Annu.8:105, 1978
Preissig, S.H., Mendelsohn, G., Eggleston, J.C., Wells, S.A., Jr., Baylin, S.B., Farrell, R.E.: Prognostic factors of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in the multiple endocrine neoplasia II (MEN II) syndrome, abstracted. Lab. Invest.40:278, 1979
Lips, C.J.M., van der Donk, J.A., Hackeng, W.H.L., van der Sluys Veer, J.: Een gemeenschappelijk “precursor molecule” als oorsprong van ecto- pisch door tumoren geproduceerde hormonen [A common “Molecular Precursor” as the source of tumor-produced ectopic hormone]. Ned. Tijdschr. Geneeskd.122:1421, 1978
Cox, T.M., Fagan, E.A., Hillyard, C.J., Allison, D.J., Chadwick, V.S.: Role of calcitonin in diarrhoea associated with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Gut20:629, 1979
Calmettes, C., Talbot, J.N., Moukhter, A., Milhaud, G.: Carcinoembryonic antigen in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Reported at the sixth meeting of the International Research Group for C.E.A. Proteins, Marburg, West Germany, September 1978
Hillyard, C.J., Evans, I.M.A., Hill, P., Taylor, S.: Familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Lancet1:1009, 1978
Levine, M.A., Mendelsohn, G., Baylin, S.B.: Medullary thyroid carcinoma in Sipple syndrome. Johns Hopkins Med. J.145:201, 1979
Hennessy, J.R., 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. Endocrinol. Metab.39:487, 1974
Dymling, J.R., Ljungberg, O., Hillyard, C.J., Greenberg, P.B., Evans, I.M.A., Maclntyre, I.: Whisky: a new provocative test for calcitonin secretion. Acta Endocrinol. (Kbh.)82:500, 1976
Wells, S.A., Baylin, S.B., Johnsrude, I.S., Harrington, D.P., Cooper, C.W.: The value of thyroid venous catheterization and plasma calcitonin measurement in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), abstracted. Proc. Am. Assoc. Cancer Res.20:436, 1979
Ljungberg, O.: On medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand. [A]231:1, 1972
Wells, S.A., Jr., Ellis, G.J., Gunnells, J.C.: Parathyroid autotransplantation in primary parathyroid hyperplasia. N. Engl. J. Med.295:57, 1976
Hickie, R.C., Samaan N.A.: Human parathyroid autotransplantation. Arch. Surg.110:892, 1975
Allison, D.J.: Therapeutic embolization and venous sampling. In Recent Advances in Surgery, Taylor, Selwyn, editor, London, Churchill-Livingstone, 1980, chap. 2
Hellman, H.E., Kartchner, M., Van Antwerp, J.D., Salmon, S.E., Patton, D.D., O'Mara, R.: Radio iodine in the treatment of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.48:451, 1979
Gottlieb, J.A., Hill, C.S.: Chemotherapy of thyroid cancer with adriamycin. N. Engl. J. Med.290:193, 1974
Barrowman, J.A., Bennett, A., Hillenbrand, P., Rolles, K., Pollack D.J., Wright, J.T.: Diarrhoea in thyroid medullary carcinoma: role of prostaglandins and therapeutic effect of nutmeg. Br. Med. J.3:11, 1978
Graze, K., Spiler, I.J., Tashjian, A.H., Melvin, K.E., Cervi-Skinner, S., Gazel, R.F., Miller, H.H., Wolfe, H.J., De Lellis, R.A., Leape, L., Feldman, Z.T., Reichlin, S.: Natural history of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Effect of a program for early diagnosis. N. Engl. J. med.299:980, 1978
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lynn, J., Gamvros, O.I. & Taylor, S. Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. World J. Surg. 5, 27–32 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01657830
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01657830