Calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen in poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma

Previous studies have shown that certain patients suffering from poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma (PDFC) of the thyroid had high levels of calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the plasma. In this work, both CT and CEA were localized in tissue sections obtained at operation from patients suffering from PDFC. The results confirm the hypothesis that certain cases of PDFC are in fact CT-secreting tumors and represent another type of thyroid neoplasma. Patients suffering from PDFC should be screened using both CT and CEA assays.