Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Diagnostic problems.

Light microscopy is usually considered sufficient for the diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT). As stromal amyloid is not always present and the tumor may exhibit great variation in growth pattern, light microscopy alone, however, may lead to misinterpretations. Of 1670 thyroid carcinomas registered durging a 15-year period in Norway, 42 were originally interpreted as MCT. The slides were reviewed and the diagnosis maintained in 33 cases only. Twenty-four additional cases were found by reviewing histopathologic slides from neoplasms originally registered as other types of thyroid tumors. Of 57 cases of MCT, stromal amyloid was demonstrated in 43. Calcitonin measurements and electron microscopy, even on formalin-fixed material, were valuable aids in establishing the correct diagnosis, though none of these methods are unequivocal. Different aspects of the problems concerning the diagnosis of MCT are discussed through the detailed presentation of five patients.