Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

An Orthotopic Mouse Model of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: April 17, 2013
Familial medullary thyroid carcinoma
Abstract:
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (M.C.T.) is a tumour of the calcitonin-secreting cells of the thyroid gland; it affects both lobes, has a variable malignant potential, and is often familial. Despite the availability of diagnostic plasma-calcitonin immunoassays, the condition is rarely considered in the initial assessment of a patient with a thyroid mass so that the is often disseminated by the time it is diagnosed, inadequate surgery is performed, and family members are not investigated. We studied 22 members of a family with M.C.T. and gave alcohol to provoke calcitonin secretion. 3 (excluding the index case) had raised basal calcitonin levels and the diagnosis of M.C.T. was confirmed at operation; their calcitonin levels became undetectable after total thyroidectomy. 3 others had detectable levels after alcohol stimulation and are being re-screened at regular intervals.
Related Concept Videos
Abnormal Proliferation
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Synthesis and Functions of Calcitonin
The exact mechanisms by which calcitonin operates in calcium homeostasis remain elusive, but its significance is evident in several vital...

