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Calcitonin Measurement in Wash-Out Fluid from Fine Needle Aspiration of Neck Masses in Patients with Primary and Metastatic Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Endocrinology (F.B., I.M., G.P., F.A., S.M.) and Nuclear Medicine (M.P.), Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu," and Department of Cytomorphology, San Giovanni di Dio Hospital (M.L.L.), University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Stefano Mariotti, M.D., Endocrinology, Department of Medical Sciences, Presidio di Monserrato, University of Cagliari, Strada Statale 554-bivio Sestu, I-09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy. E-mail: mariotti{at}pacs.unica.it.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of calcitonin (CT) assay in fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) wash-out fluid alone or combined with cytology in the presurgical study of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) patients with thyroid nodules (TNs) and of suspicious neck MTC recurrences/metastases.

Subjects and Methods: A total of 36 ultrasound-guided FNABs were performed in neck masses from 23 patients with borderline or high basal and pentagastrin-stimulated serum CT. Cytology and CT-FNAB were performed on a total of 18 TNs and three neck lymph nodes (LNs) from 12 patients examined before thyroidectomy, and on six suspicious local recurrences (LRs) and nine LNs from nine totally thyroidectomized MTC patients. On the basis of CT-FNAB values found in 15 non-MTC lesions, CT-FNAB more than 36 pg/ml was considered as indicative of MTC.

Results: All 21 positive CT-FNAB lesions (10 TNs, six LNs, and five LRs), 13 with positive cytology, were confirmed as MTC at histology. Of the 15 negative CT-FNAB suspicious masses (eight TNs, six LNs, and one LR), five displayed a benign lesion at histology. The remaining 10 cases, all with benign cytology, were not operated on, and no evidence of MTC was detected at follow-up. CT-FNAB reached 100% sensitivity and specificity for MTC, while cytology displayed 61.9% sensitivity and 80% specificity.

Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided CT-FNAB was the best tool to identify primary MTC and LRs/node metastases in MTC operated subjects. This may have important implications in the management of MTC.

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