HWN Suggests

Pitfalls in calcitonin measurement...

Calcitonin (CT) is a sensitive marker for medullary thyroid carcinoma, but its routine measurement in patients with thyroid nodules is a controversial issue. Generally, an elevated serum calcitonin strongly suggests the presence of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC); however high CT levels may be found in other thyroid or non-thyroidal conditions.

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 Calcitonin, the forgotten hormone: does it deserve to be forgotten?

In conclusion, calcitonin, which is no longer even included as a chapter in the most recent edition of the ASBMR Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism, is a hormone preserved during evolution from ocean to land-based animals that continues to be an enigma more than 50 years after its discovery.

Articles of Interest

Calcitonin, an enigmatic hormone: does it have a function?

When thyroidal CT (TCT) was discovered over 35 years ago, most investigators believed that TCT was a hypocalcemic hormone important for the regulation of blood calcium by opposing PTH. However, the experiments leading to the discovery of TCT may have misled us

Calcitonin: current concepts and differential diagnosis

Despite its limitations regarding the detection assays, the cutoff values, and the protocols of the stimulating tests, CT comprises a very important tool in current endocrinology practice. It serves as a diagnostic, treating, and prognostic modality.

Prognostic Value of Preoperative Serum Calcitonin Levels for Predicting the Recurrence of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Serum calcitonin level is a useful biomarker for predicting primary tumor size, the extent of lymph node, and distant metastasis in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). However, the association between preoperative serum calcitonin levels and long-term oncologic outcomes has not yet been established.

Serum calcitonin levels shows more sensitivity than cytopathology for the medullary thyroid cancer diagnosis

The low cure rate once the disease spreads beyond the thyroid gland supports the use of serum CT screening in the early diagnosis of MTC in patients with thyroid nodules. Although this practice is the standard of care at some centers in European countries, there has been controversy around its application in the United States.

The Parathyroid Hormone and Calcitonin

A lack of calcitonin in the blood may increase a person’s risk of bone degradation and osteopenia, a condition that occurs when the rate in which the body reabsorbs old bone exceeds the rate in which it produces new bone.

The Parathyroid Hormone and Calcitonin

First, calcitonin opposes osteoclasts, cells that break down bone in the body. Bones contain calcium, which gets released into the bloodstream when they are broken down by osteoclasts. Meanwhile, calcitonin prevents excess amounts of calcium from deteriorating bones to enter the bloodstream. This helps minimize the risk that a person will experience hypercalcemia due to the calcium produced during the breakdown of bone in the body.

Update on Calcitonin Screening for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and the Results of a Retrospective Analysis of 12,984 Patients with Thyroid Nodules

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare disease and accounts for about 5% of thyroid carcinomas. In contrast to other thyroid cancers, MTC can be detected by calcitonin (Ctn) measurement in blood samples. However, the interpretation of Ctn values is difficult since reference values for Ctn are sex-specific, assay-dependent, and can also be elevated in benign thyroid diseases and certain extrathyroidal conditions.

Resources

VIVO Pathophysiology

Calcitonin is a hormone known to participate in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. In mammals, the major source of calcitonin is from the parafollicular or C cells in the thyroid gland, but it is also synthesized in a wide variety of other tissues, including the lung and intestinal tract. In birds, fish and amphibians, calcitonin is secreted from the ultimobrachial glands. Calcitonin is a 32 amino acid peptide cleaved from a larger prohormone.

StatPearls

This activity reviews the mechanism of action, adverse event profile, toxicity, dosing, pharmacodynamics, and monitoring of calcitonin, pertinent for clinicians and other interprofessional team members where calcitonin therapy can provide patient benefit.

You and Your Hormones

Calcitonin is a hormone that is produced and released by the C-cells of the thyroid gland. Its biological function in humans is to have a relatively minor role in calcium balance.