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Atlas of Thyroid and Neuroendocrine Tumor Markers pp 151–157Cite as

Procalcitonin: Are We Ready for Clinical Use?

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Abstract

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare but aggressive thyroid malignancy. Serum calcitonin measurement is considered the gold standard in the diagnosis and follow-up of MTC patients; however, there are a number of biological and analytical challenges that could negatively impact its usefulness. Procalcitonin (ProCT), a marker commonly used in the evaluation of sepsis, has been suggested to be a promising marker for the diagnosis and follow-up of MTC. Here, we summarize available studies in the clinical utility of ProCT in the evaluation of MTC. Overall findings indicate that addition of ProCT in the evaluation of MTC patient might complement current practice and in some cases might be superior to CT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Centre, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland

    Pierpaolo Trimboli & Luca Giovanella

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich

  3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland

    Luca Giovanella

Authors
  1. Pierpaolo Trimboli
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  2. Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich
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  3. Luca Giovanella
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pierpaolo Trimboli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Centre, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland

    Luca Giovanella

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Trimboli, P., Algeciras-Schimnich, A., Giovanella, L. (2018). Procalcitonin: Are We Ready for Clinical Use?. In: Giovanella, L. (eds) Atlas of Thyroid and Neuroendocrine Tumor Markers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62506-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62506-5_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62505-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62506-5

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