[Calcitonin measurement in fine-needle washout fluids in detecting medullary thyroid cancer].

BACKGROUND

The diagnostic value of calcitonin measurement in fine-needle aspiration biopsy wash-out fluid is a promising tool in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer.

AIMS: We assessed the potential usefulness and the diagnostic significance of Ct-FNAB alone in comparison with cytology in the diagnosis and localization of primary or metastatic MTC.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

For this purpose, we retrospectively examined data from 67 patients with suspicious thyroid nodules and/or lymph nodes who ultimately underwent surgical treatment at the Endocrinology Research Centre in 2015-2020. The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Ct-FNAB when compared to cytological examination. The secondary endpoint was to determine the optimal diagnostic level for use in clinical practice.

RESULTS

The obtained results showed that high Ct-FNAB concentrations were present in all histologically proven MTC, either in thyroid gland (sensitivity 92.5%, specificity 100%) or neck masses (sensitivity 88.5%, specificity 100%). The optimal diagnostic threshold for Ct-FNAB values from thyroid nodes was > 122 pg/ml, from lymph nodes >35.8 pg/ml.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that Ct-FNAB is a highly reliable diagnostic procedure to identify primary and recurrent/metastatic MTC. The actual relevance of this technique in the management of MTC needs further longitudinal studies in a larger number of patients.