title: Association of Basal and Calcium-stimulated Calcitonin Levels with Pathological Findings After Total Thyroidectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) originates from thyroid C-cells and is a calcitonin-secreting tumor. Calcitonin is also elevated in C-cell hyperplasia (CCH). The objective of the study was to determine the optimal basal (bCT) and peak stimulated calcitonin (psCT) cut-off value for differentiating MTC from CCH, and to examine the histological findings of thyroidectomy in patients with maximum psCT >100 pg/ml.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five patients had a maximum calcium-psCT >100 pg/ml and underwent total thyroidectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 20 patients were diagnosed with MTC and the remaining 35 with CCH. A bCT level >17.4 pg/ml and psCT level >452 pg/ml demonstrated the best sensitivity and positive predictive value for differenting MTC from CCH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overlap of calcitonin levels between MTC and CCH reduces the accuracy of the calcium stimulation test. Remarkably, an appreciable number of patients with psCT levels >100 pg/ml harbor differentiated thyroid carcinoma of follicular origin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece george.papadakis.md@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papadakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Keramidas
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Triantafillou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Fotini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kanouta
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pappa
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kaltzidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tertipi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iordanidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Erasmia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trivizaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchini
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villiotou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metaxa Anticancer Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pappas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D002118:Calcium
keywords: C-cell hyperplasia; Calcitonin; RET; calcium stimulation test; medullary thyroid carcinoma; papillary thyroid carcinoma