Integrated Diagnostics and Theragnostics of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and Related Syndromes

Abstract

AbstractMedullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare neoplasm derived from calcitonin-secreting cells of the thyroid (C cells) for which surgery is the only curative treatment. Successful management of MTC depends on the patient’s condition, tumor stage, genetic background, and the medical team’s experience. This chapter provides an overview of clinical manifestations, diagnosis of MTC and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 (MEN2) and also presents applications of the most up-to-date imaging modalities to MTC with special emphasis on 18F-FDOPA PET/CT. It aims to guide physicians toward a rationale for the use of imaging prior to prophylactic thyroidectomy, reoperations for persistent/recurrent disease and prior to initial surgery. This chapter also concludes that, in the near future, it is expected that these patients will indeed benefit from newly developed diagnostic and theragnostic approaches.