[Pleural and intraspinal tumor with hypercalcitoninemia].

The authors report a case of probably ectopic secretion of calcitonin in a 35 year old woman suffering from a malignant tumour in a double intra- and extra-spinal form. Hormone levels returned to normal after complete excision of the tumour, in which it was impossible to demonstrate the presence of calcitonin despite a very marked secretory appearance by electron microscopy. Study of the literature concerning the secretion of calcitonin by malignant tumours indicates the high degree of contradiction concerning the origin and the significance of increased radio-immunological levels of this hormone, which it is not possible to use without criticism as a "marker" of carcinomas.