ECE2018 Guided Posters Thyroid Cancer - Diagnostics & Treatments (12 abstracts)
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland.
Calcitonin and carcinoembryonal antigen are biochemical markers of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Assessment of the dynamics of their serum concentration allow for calculation of their doubling times that are independent risk factors for overall survival and progression-free survival in MTC. It is generally accepted that the dynamics and the doubling times remain stable during follow-up.
Aim: The aim of the study was to retrospectively verify the stability of calcitonin and CEA doubling times during follow-up in a population of 1650 medullary thyroid carcinoma patients followed-up in a single center.
Results: We found and present 26 patients in whom during follow-up significant change in markers doubling time was observed significantly influencing their prognosis and treatment.
Conclusion: We should not excessively delay follow-up visits in MTC patients with decreasing, stable or slowly increasing markers concentration as there is possibility of revealing rapidly-progressing clone. It would be beneficial to test the genetic background leading to reproductive or survival advantage of that clone in progressively observed patient.