title: Calcitonin as a marker for bronchogenic cancer: a prospective study.
abstract: A prospective study was done of serum calcitonin (HCT) levels in 61 patients with bronchogenic cancer. Initially, 52% of patients had hypercalcitonemia. Hypercalcitonemia was not confined to patients with any particular histologic type. Seventy-eight percent of those with high calcitonin remained normocalcemic. There was no correlation between high calcitonin levels and osseous metastases. Selective thyroid venous sampling delineated two types of hypercalcitonemia: thyroidal and ectopic. To date, the ectopic type has been associated with the small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. High initial calcitonin levels decreased significantly in 75% of patients on antitumor therapy. In 13 evaluable patients calcitonin levels mirrored clinical status changes 67% of the time. Calcitonin may be a useful marker to assess the results of therapy in patients with bronchogenic cancer.
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000556:secondary; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006729:Hormones, Ectopic; D002116:Calcitonin