Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 49, 438-444, Copyright © 1979 by Endocrine Society
Calcitonin in nonthyroidal cancer
KE Schwartz, AR Wolfsen, B Forster and WD Odell
A blind prospective study was undertaken to determine the use of calcitonin
(CT) as a tumor marker. After final diagnosis, results revealed elevated
plasma CT (greater than 150 pg/ml) in common cancers as follows: lung, 38%;
colon, 24%; breast, 38%; pancreas, 42%; and gastric, 30%. Fifty-eight
percent of oat cell carcinomas were associated with elevated plasma CT. CT
immunoreactivity was detected in 14% of tumor extracts and was not
detectable in normal tissue other than thyroid. Hypercalcemia was not the
cause of hypercalcitonemia. Incubation studies of [125I]human CT in cancer
plasma and tumor extracts demonstrated that measurements were not an
artifact of label degradation. In a survey of control patients with
nonneoplastic disease, elevated CT was noted in renal failure, acute
gastrointestinal bleeding, and in some patients with chronic obstructive
lung disease. In conclusion, plasma CT is elevated in a substantial
proportion of common neoplasms and is useful as a tumor marker.
