title: [Medullary cancer of the thyroid. Experience at the Hospital de Valdivia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is an infrequent type of thyroid tumor.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively study all cases of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid diagnosed at a regional hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The charts and pathological studies of eight patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, among 75 with thyroidal cancer, were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Solitary nodules were the presenting sign in seven patients and cachexia in one. Five patients were subjected to total thyroidectomy, five to cervical lymph node dissection and four to complementary radiotherapy. Pathological diagnosis was made with the surgical piece in seven patients and by aspiration cytology in one. Five of the eight patients are alive after 50 months of follow up as a mean, one patient with bone metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The small sample size precludes conclusions on the prognosis and treatment of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Institutos de Cirugía, Medicina Interna y Oncología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salinas
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Poblete
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cardemil
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krauskopf
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000032:analysis; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin
vernacular_title: Cáncer medular de tiroides. Experiencia del Hospital de Valdivia.