Background/purpose: Before 1970, treatment decisions for the thyroid lesions in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) were based on physical findings. For the next 20 years, biological markers assumed a preeminent role, and at present, DNA testing is being used to define the need for therapeutic intervention. This report presents a 25-year review of 22 children with MEN-2A, with a mean follow-up of 12.5 years.
Methods: All 22 children underwent a total thyroidectomy, and four (18%) were rendered permanently hypoparathyroid. Since 1976, however, only one patient (6.7%) has lost parathyroid function. Despite the fact that biological screening studies routinely were performed once a year in the majority of our patients and surgery was recommended for any elevation in the serum calcitonin (CT) levels, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC) developed in 17 children (77%) and only five had C cell hyperplasia (CCH). Thirteen of the 17 had macroscopic tumor described by the pathologist, evidence of recurrent disease (MTC-REC) has developed in four children (24%).
Results: There was considerable overlap in both the basal and stimulated CT levels among the five children with CCH, the 13 with localized MTC (MTC-NED), and the four who later had recurrent MTC. The basal calcitonin levels were between 25 and 110 (mean, 58) in the CCH patients, 30 to 1,130 (mean, 184) in the MTC-NED group, and 108 to 201 (mean, 140) in those with recurrent MTC. The corresponding stimulated calcitonin levels were 45 to 417 (mean, 179) in CCH, 111 to 9,510 (mean, 1,407) in MTC-NED, and 449 to 5,093 (mean, 3,383) in MTC-REC.
Conclusions: (1) Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated CT levels did not reliably discriminate between CCH and MTC and should not be used to define the timing of thyroid surgery in children with MEN-2A. (2) Surgical therapy should be undertaken early in childhood on the basis of molecular genetic testing. (3) Postoperative complications are infrequent in the modern era.