Circulating levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide, originally found in rat medullary thyroid carcinoma cells, was measured by radioimmunoassay in plasma samples with added aprotinin from 17 normal volunteers and 21 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. The concentrations were below 75 pmol/l in all 17 normal subjects with a mean of 33 +/- 19 pmol/l plasma. In the patients, the plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide concentrations ranged from below 5 pmol/l to 236 pmol/l, although the mean (36 +/- 48 pmol/l) was not significantly different from the mean normal level. Increase in the plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide level was observed in 2 of 5 patients in response to infusion of 4.3 mg/kg of calcium for 10 minutes and in 3 of 5 patients in response to infusion of 4 micrograms/kg of tetragastrin for 5 minutes. These observations suggest that measurement of calcitonin gene-related peptide level may be helpful in determination of diseases in which the level of calcitonin is of less diagnostic value.
Kim
S
S
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Morimoto
S
S
Kawai
Y
Y
Koh
E
E
Onishi
T
T
Ogihara
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001059:Apoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000097:blood*; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood*; D004355:Drug Stability; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000592:standards; D013758:Tetragastrin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
D001059:Apoproteins; D013758:Tetragastrin; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002118:Calcium