[Therapy of metastatic medullary thyroid gland carcinoma with the somatostatin analog octreotide].

AIM OF THE STUDY

Medullary thyroid carcinoma like other neuroendocrine tumors express somatostatin receptors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Antisecretory and antiproliferative effects of the long-acting somatostatin analog octreotide should be evaluated in a prospective study in 7 patients with metastasizing medullary thyroid carcinoma.

RESULTS

Treatment with octreotide in daily doses between 100 and 1000 micrograms resulted in a remission lasting up to 12 months in 2 of 7 patients. A decrease of tumor marker levels was observed in 2 patients, improvement of diarrhea and a remission of a lymph node metastasis in one of these.

CONCLUSION

This minor therapeutic effect may be due to the relatively low density of receptors or with a low affinity of the receptors expressed in medullary thyroid carcinoma to octreotide.