Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
03:55
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Visualization in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Thyroid Cancer
Published on: June 9, 2023
ProGRP dynamics as a prognostic predictor in advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma
Alfredo Campenni1, Petra Petranović Ovčariček2,3, Federica D'Aurizio4
1Nuclear Medicine Unit, Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
|June 24, 2026
Summary
Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) shows stronger association with adverse outcomes in advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) than calcitonin (CT) or carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Dynamic ProGRP changes may indicate aggressive tumor behavior, warranting further research.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) management relies on calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) kinetics.
- Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19.9) are emerging as potential complementary MTC markers.
- The longitudinal prognostic value of ProGRP and CA 19.9 in MTC is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the longitudinal prognostic value of ProGRP and CA 19.9 in advanced MTC.
- To compare the discriminative performance of ProGRP, CA 19.9, CEA, and CT slopes for predicting structural progression and disease-related death.
- To assess the association between biomarker kinetics and patient survival.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 23 metastatic MTC patients.
- Biomarker slopes (CT, CEA, ProGRP, CA 19.9) calculated using patient-specific log-linear regression.
- Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank testing used to assess associations with progression and survival.
Main Results:
- ProGRP slope demonstrated the strongest discrimination for disease-related death, outperforming CA 19.9, CEA, and CT.
- ProGRP and CEA showed the highest performance for predicting structural progression.
- Higher ProGRP slopes were associated with earlier progression and reduced survival.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic ProGRP changes are more strongly linked to adverse outcomes in advanced MTC than traditional markers.
- ProGRP may reflect aggressive tumor behavior not detected by CT.
- Prospective validation in larger cohorts is needed due to limited data on overall survival.
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