[Medullary thyroid cancer: review of 28 patients]

Abstract

Background: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) represents approximately 5% of all thyroid cancers. Surgery is the only curative treatment, which includes total thyroidectomy and in most cases, neck dissection.

Aim: To report our 10-year experience with surgical treatment of MTC.

Material and methods: Review of medical records and pathology reports of a university hospital. We retrieved data from 28 patients aged 47.2 ± 16 years (21 women) operated for a MTC treated between June 2002 and June 2012.

Results: In 20 patients, MTC was diagnosed in the preoperative period. Total thyroidectomy was performed in all cases and included a neck dissection in 24 patients. Median follow-up was 48 (2-120) months. Twenty-five patients (89.2%) achieved complete remission of the disease and three had disease recurrence. There were no deaths during the follow up.

Conclusions: The diagnosis of MTC is mainly based on cytology. Total thyroidectomy with neck dissection is the treatment of choice. An early-stage diagnosis is associated with low rates of recurrence and absence of mortality.