[Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid]

Medullary thyroid carcinoma represents 4-8% of thyroid malignancies; regional nodal involvement is commonly found, even at the time of first surgical approach. In these patients after surgical resection, other therapeutic choices are really limited. The Authors evaluated their experience in the period 1981-1994, concerning 14 patients, 9 females and 5 males, all affected with sporadic MTC. Diagnosis was preoperative in 10 patients and intraoperative in 4; as for the staging: in 8 patients the tumor resulted confined to the thyroid, while in the remaining 6 patients it was extra-thyroidal. In 5 patients a total thyroidectomy with regional lymphadenectomy was performed, with in 6 patients a total thyroidectomy with cervico-mediastinic total lymphadenectomy was achieved. Survival was evaluated with a short, follow-up (3 months) and calculated using the K-Mayer method. Average survival was: 5 years in patients undergoing only total thyroidectomy; 3 years and 1 month in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy and lymphadenectomy; 6 months in patients undergoing no treatment at all. Among the factors negatively affecting patients survival, the Authors pointed out: metastasis occurrence; incomplete resection and mediastinal metastasis. In conclusion surgical resection (total thyroidectomy) associated with radical lymphadenectomy resulted to be a good approach. However, prognostic factors require further investigation.