To screen or not to screen for medullary thyroid cancer? This is (yet) the question. An illustrative case.

Auteurs-es

  • Rosaria Ruggeri Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina
  • Luca Giovannella Department of Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Centre, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona
  • Francesco Trimarchi Accademia Peloritanadei Pericolanti, at the University of Messina, Messina
  • Alfredo Campennì Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, and Morpho-Functional Images, Unit of Nuclear Medicine, University of Messina, Messina

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.6092/1828-6550/APMB.106.2.2018.A1

Mots-clés :

medullary thyroid cancer, calcitonin- thyroid nodules

Résumé

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare disease, often displaying an aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. Serum calcitonin represents the most sensitive marker of MTC and its routine measurement in patients with thyroid nodules allows early detection of occult MTC and appropriate surgical cure.Here we report on a 55-yr-old woman with a long-standing goiter, autonomously functioning thyroid nodules and subclinical thyrotoxicosis, who was diagnosed with MTC at an early stage by means of calcitoninscreening. This rare case highlights the importance of performing routine calcitonin measurementin thyroid nodules.

Références

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Publié

2018-12-18

Numéro

Vol. 106 No. 2 (2018)

Rubrique

CLINICAL CASE SEMINAR

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