Kotla Prashanth, Udoh Agnes I, Clement Cecilia, He Jing
School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, USA.
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, USA.
Cureus. 2025 May 3;17(5):e83422. doi: 10.7759/cureus.83422. eCollection 2025 May.
Calcitonin is primarily secreted by parafollicular C cells of the thyroid, with significantly elevated levels serving as the primary serum marker for medullary thyroid carcinoma. However, ectopic calcitonin secretion, though rare, has been reported in neuroendocrine tumors arising in extra-thyroidal sites such as the lung, breast, prostate, liver, and thymus. This can pose diagnostic challenges due to the immunohistochemical similarity between ectopic calcitonin-secreting neuroendocrine tumors and medullary thyroid carcinoma, particularly in patients with coexisting thyroid lesions. Here, we present a rare case of a calcitonin-secreting neuroendocrine tumor of the lung, aiming to enhance diagnostic awareness and highlight the potential for elevated serum calcitonin due to ectopic secretion from an extrathyroidal source.
降钙素主要由甲状腺滤泡旁C细胞分泌,其水平显著升高是甲状腺髓样癌的主要血清标志物。然而,异位降钙素分泌虽罕见,但已报道见于甲状腺外部位(如肺、乳腺、前列腺、肝脏和胸腺)发生的神经内分泌肿瘤。由于异位分泌降钙素的神经内分泌肿瘤与甲状腺髓样癌在免疫组化上相似,这可能带来诊断挑战,尤其是在合并甲状腺病变的患者中。在此,我们报告一例罕见的肺降钙素分泌神经内分泌肿瘤病例,旨在提高诊断意识,并强调甲状腺外来源异位分泌导致血清降钙素升高的可能性。