Treatment of medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) addresses a neuroendocrine malignancy arising from the calcitonin-producing parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid, distinct in biology and management from differentiated follicular-derived thyroid cancers. Surgery is the cornerstone of curative treatment, typically total t…
Treatment of medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) addresses a neuroendocrine malignancy arising from the calcitonin-producing parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid, distinct in biology and management from differentiated follicular-derived thyroid cancers. Surgery is the cornerstone of curative treatment, typically total thyroidectomy with central, and often lateral, compartment lymph node dissection, because MTC does not concentrate radioiodine and responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy. Accurate preoperative evaluation, including calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen measurement, imaging, and assessment of germline RET status, is essential to define disease extent and to identify hereditary syndromes; the adequacy of this workup can vary with the clinician's training background. For advanced, metastatic, or progressive disease, systemic therapy centers on targeted agents, particularly RET-directed and multikinase inhibitors. Molecular characterization of RET alterations guides treatment selection, and even rare variants of uncertain significance, such as RET 898-901 deletions, can show durable responses to selective RET inhibitors like pralsetinib. Management must also distinguish MTC from other thyroid malignancies, including differentiated cancers treated with surgery and radioactive iodine and rare entities such as primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma, which require entirely different strategies. Long-term surveillance using biochemical markers and imaging monitors for recurrence. Effective MTC care therefore integrates surgical oncology, genetics, molecular pathology, and precision systemic therapy.
6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 6 articles above have been cited 8 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer, linking to each citing work.