Medullary thyroid carcinoma: the influence of policy changing in clinical characteristics and disease progression

ObjectiveMedullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) has varying clinical course. We assessed trends in MTC presentation during the last 34 years.DesignRetrospective study.MethodsOne hundred and fifty one patients (44.4% males) were followed for 0.9–34 years. Patients were classified according to year of diagnosis: group 1, 1977–2000 (n=53) and group 2, 2001–2011 (n=98). Extent of disease at diagnosis, during follow-up, number of surgeries, and pre- and postoperative calcitonin levels were recorded.ResultsIn total, 48.34% reported family history of MTC. Group 1 had larger tumors (median 1.70 (intraquartile range (IQR) 1.7) vs 1.1 (1.2) cm, P=0.045, Mann–Whitney), they presented less frequently micro-MTCs (27.8 vs 46.1%, P=0.045), and underwent more multiple surgeries (63.3 vs 20.0%, P