Disappearance rate of serum calcitonin after total thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid carcinoma.
We studied the half-life of serum calcitonin (CT) in patients subjected to total thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). One patient showed a rapid serum CT component with a half-life of 3 hours and a slow component with a half-life of 30 hours; in another case only the 30-hour component was found. By chromatography of tumor extracts, we found that all the immunoreactive CT had a molecular weight of 3,600. After surgery, normalization of serum CT was achieved within 15 days in 4 patients, at 3 months and at 6 months in 2 other patients, while 1 patient never normalized. Normalization of serum CT after surgery is not an index of definitive cure in MTC, as demonstrated by one patient who relapsed 3 months after normalization of serum CT. However, as a general rule, patients who reach undetectable serum CT levels soon after surgery, are those having the best prognosis.
Fugazzola
L
L
Institute of Endocrinology, University of Pisa, Italy.
Pinchera
A
A
Luchetti
F
F
Iacconi
P
P
Miccoli
P
P
Romei
C
C
Puccini
M
M
Pacini
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002116:Calcitonin