Study of Calcitonin and Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide in Patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Study of calcitonin and calcitonin gene— related peptide in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma

Objective To provide a basis for treatment and prognosis for MTC patients by investigating CT and CGRP. Methods Fifty-eight cases of MTC were selected and the relationship between the CT levels and metastasis was investigated. An immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of CT and CGRP in the 58 samples of MTC tissues. The CT and CGRP of new MTC inpatients were measured before operation and in the first few days after operation using a radioimmunoassy. Results 1) The metastatic rate of cervical lymph nodes was a significantly different between the normal serum CT group and the elevated group (P<0. 01). 2) The rate of residual tumor was significantly different between the normal serum CT group one month after operation and the elevated group at the same period (P<0.01).3) In the immunohistochemical study we found the positive rate of CT was about 98%, and the CGRP was 87.8%. 4) Part of the patients had an elevated CGRP level while CT levels were normal. 5) The serum CT levels dropped to a stable range one week after operation. Conclusion The CT levels are a useful index to evaluate the probability of cervical lymph node metastasis and the efficacy of surgical treatment. Measurement of the serum CGRP is an aid for the diagnosis of MTC, especially for those patients whose preoperative CT levels are normal. This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation from the Tianjin Government.