Μυελοειδές καρκίνωμα θυρεοειδούς σαν τυχαίο εύρημα μετά από λοβεκτομή

MEDULLARY THYROID CANCER (MTC) – CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF SERUM CARCINOEMBRYONIC (CEA) LEVELS

Preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels are useful for risk stratification of the patients. Overall, CEA elevations occur in more than 50 % of patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Preoperative CEA levels > 30 ng/mL highly predicts the inability to cure the patient with surgery. CEA levels > 100 ng/mL may signify extensive locoregional spread (in lymph nodes of the neck) or the presence of distant metastases. Following CEA levels postoperatively can be used to monitor disease progression. Interestingly, an increasing CEA level in the presence of a stable calcitonin level is associated with a worse prognosis, as it may indicate tumor dedifferentiation and distant metastases. CEA (with calcitonin and chromogranin A) are the most useful neoplastic tumor markers for following MTC patients in the long term.