ObjectiveTo understand the role of calcitonin testing for the diagnosis and treatment of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) as well as recent research progress, so as to provide assistance in the early clinical diagnosis and treatment of MTC and improve patients’ prognosis. MethodThe literatures about the role of calcitonin testing in MTC in recent years were reviewed. ResultsIn recent years, both domestic and international scholars had extensively investigated the role of calcitonin in the early detection of MTC and accurate postoperative prognosis assessment. With respect to early diagnosis, advancements had been made in the three main measurement methods: basal calcitonin, stimulated calcitonin, and calcitonin measurement in the thyroid nodule fine-needle aspiration washout fluid. These developments in calcitonin levels had contributed to improved guidance in surgical treatment and prognosis evaluation. While calcitonin monitoring could inform treatment decisions and improve patients’prognosis, numerous challenges remain to be addressed. ConclusionThe study of calcitonin detection can deepen the understanding of MTC, further research on calcitonin related detection in the future will be of great significance for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of MTC.
ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of postoperative application of Pseudomonas aeruginosa injection on recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with abnormal serum calcitonin levels following surgery for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). MethodsA retrospective collection of data was conducted for 214 patients with abnormal serum calcitonin levels following MTC surgery at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2015 to April 2024. Propensity score matching (1∶2) was utilized to match patients’ data to reduce confounding bias, comparing RFS and OS between patients who used (Pseudomonas group) and did not use (control group) Pseudomonas aeruginosa injection. ResultsAfter propensity score matching, 72 patients with abnormal postoperative calcitonin levels were included, with 24 in the Pseudomonas group and 48 in the control group. The median follow-up time for the 72 patients was 66 months (11–168 months). The 1-year RFS rates for the Pseudomonas group and the control group were 100% and 75.0%, respectively, and the 2-year RFS rates were 87.5% and 56.3%, respectively. The RFS in the Pseudomonas group was superior to that in the control group (χ2=4.791, P=0.029). The 5-year OS rates for the Pseudomonas group and the control group were 90.9% and 93.5%, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (χ2=0.469, P=0.491). The Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that the median RFS was extended in the Pseudomonas group [25 months vs. 21 months, RR=0.350, 95%CI (0.135, 0.900), P=0.029], but there was no significant impact on OS [66 months vs. 69 months, RR=2.22, 95%CI (0.229, 21.444), P=0.503]. ConclusionPostoperative use of Pseudomonas aeruginosa injection in MTC patients with abnormal serum calcitonin level shows significant improvement in RFS, but no significant change in OS.
ObjectiveTo explore the risk factors for lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 132 MTC patients who underwent initial treatment in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from March 2015 to July 2023. Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney nonparametric test and logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors associated with LLNM in MTC patients by SPSS 22.0 software. ResultsOut of 132 MTC patients, 46 developed LLNM. Multivariate analysis showed that male (female vs. male: OR=0.139, P=0.005), high preoperative calcitonin (Ctn) level (OR=1.001, P=0.042), capsule invasion (OR=15.164, P<0.001), and central lymph node metastasis (OR=4.573, P=0.016) were independent risk factors for LLNM in MTC patients (P<0.05). When the preoperative serum Ctn of MTC patients was greater than 482.50 pg/mL, it indicated a high possibility of LLNM [AUC=0.856, 95%CI (0.791, 0.921)]. ConclusionsGender (male), capsule invasion, high Ctn level, and central lymph node metastasis are independent predictors of LLNM in MTC. For MTC patients with the aforementioned high-risk factors, clinical physicians need to be vigilant about the possibility of LLNM.
目的 探讨甲状腺髓样癌的超声声像图特点，以提高超声诊断水平。 方法 回顾性分析2006年1月－ 2010年9月经手术切除及病理组织学证实的16例甲状腺髓样癌20个结节的超声声像图表现。 结果 20个甲状腺髓样癌结节中，结节呈低回声20个，结节内部有钙化灶者13个，结节内血流丰富者13个，合并有甲状腺乳头状微小癌1例，颈部淋巴结肿大17例。 结论 甲状腺髓样癌具有一定的超声声像图特点，了解这些特点可以提高超声对甲状腺髓样癌的诊断水平。
Objective To summarize the research progress on diagnostic criteria of lymph node metastasis in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), and the indication and scope of lateral cervical lymph node dissection (LCLND). Method By searching PubMed and CNKI databases, the related guidelines and literature about the diagnosis and treatment of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis in MTC in recent years were obtained and reviewed. Results The metastatic rate of lateral cervical lymph nodes in MTC patients was high. The indication of LCLND was both consensus and controversy. The LCLND of MTC was also controversial, and the focus of controversy mainly focused on the survival rate, recurrence rate, distant metastasis and postoperative complications of patients receiving prophylactic LCLND. Different imaging methods had their own advantages and disadvantages in diagnosing lymph node metastasis of MTC. Nuclear medicine was effective but expensive. Fine needle puncture was also an effective method for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of MTC. At present, calcitonin level, tumor size and lymph node metastasis were still important indicators for evaluating MTC for prophylactic LCLND, but the application of related indications had not been unified. Many scholars recommended comprehensive consideration of various indicators to evaluate whether MTC carried out preventive LCLND. Conclusions The LCLND of MTC needs to be further explored and standardized on the basis of the existing consensus. The focus of prophylactic LCLND should be to improve the survival rate of patients while reducing complications as much as possible.
Objective To establish a predictive model for long-term tumor-specific survival after surgery for patients with intermediate to advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) based on American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging, by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database. Methods The data of 692 patients with intermediate to advanced MTC who underwent total thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection registered in the SEER database during 2004–2017 were extracted and screened, and were randomly divided into 484 cases in the modeling group and 208 cases in the validation group according to 7∶3. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to screen predictors of tumor-specific survival after surgery for intermediate to advanced stage MTC and to develop a Nomogram model. The accuracy and usefulness of the model were tested by using the consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, time-dependent ROC curve and decision curve analysis (DSA). Results In the modeling group, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model indicated that the factors affecting tumor-specific survival after surgery in patients with intermediate to advanced MTC were AJCC TNM staging, age, lymph node ratio (LNR), and tumor diameter, and the Nomogram model was developed based on these results. The modeling group had a C-index of 0.827 and its area under the 5-year and 10-year time-dependent ROC curves were 0.865 [95%CI (0.817, 0.913)], 0.845 [95%CI (0.787, 0.904)], respectively, and the validation group had a C-index of 0.866 and its area under the 5-year and 10-year time-dependent ROC curves were 0.866 [95%CI (0.798, 0.935)] and 0.923 [95%CI (0.863, 0.983)], respectively. Good agreement between the model-predicted 5- and 10-year tumor-specific survival rates and the actual 5- and 10-year tumor-specific survival rates were showed in both the modeling and validation groups. Based on the DCA curve, the new model based on AJCC TNM staging was developed with a significant advantage over the former model containing only AJCC TNM staging in terms of net benefits obtained by patients at 5 years and 10 years after surgery. Conclusion The prognostic model based on AJCC TNM staging for predicting tumor-specific survival after surgery for intermediate to advanced MTC established in this study has good predictive effect and practicality, which can help guide personalized, precise and comprehensive treatment decisions and can be used in clinical practice.