Disseminated calcitonin-poor medullary thyroid carcinoma in a patient with calcitonin-rich primary tumor.
A multiple endocrine neoplasia type Ia patient who initially had a calcitonin-rich medullary thyroid carcinoma followed an indolent clinical course for 7 years after surgical resection. Sudden rapid dissemination of tumor led to death 2 years later. At autopsy, calcitonin immunostaining of tumor was diffusely negative, with slight positivity in less than 5% of cells. The loss of a marker of differentiation in association with the marked change in the clinical course suggests the development within the well-differentiated tumor of a poorly differentiated, biologically aggressive population of tumor cells.
Ruppert
J M
JM
Eggleston
J C
JC
deBustros
A
A
Baylin
S B
SB
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D009377:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia / Q000276:immunology; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000276:immunology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D002116:Calcitonin