Calcitonin
| Category | Biochemistry >> Endocrinology | ||||
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| Test background |
Calcitonin is the principal tumour marker of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). It is measured in diagnosis and monitoring of MTC and occasionally for diagnosis of other neuroendocrine tumours. |
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| Clinical Indications |
Suspected MTC Monitoring of known MTC Monitoring of known MEN patients |
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| Reference range |
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| Sample & container required | Serum (red top) or SST (gold top) | ||||
| Sample volume | 2ml (minimum 400µl serum) | ||||
| Sample collection | Fasting sample recommended. |
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| Transport storage | Send to lab frozen. | ||||
| Turnaround time | 10 days | ||||
| Notes | Grossly haemolysed samples are unsuitable for this assay. |