Calcitonin is a hormone produced in the thyroid, whose function is to control the amount of calcium circulating in the blood, through effects such as preventing calcium reabsorption of bones, reducing calcium absorption through the intestines and increasing excretion by the kidneys.
The main indication of calcitonin testing is the detection of a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma, considered a tumor marker of this disease, as it causes significant elevations of this hormone; it is also common to evaluate the presence of thyroid C-cell hyperplasia.indication, although this hormone may also be elevated in other situations, such as lung or breast cancer, for example.
- As a drug.
- The use of calcitonin may be indicated for the treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis.
- Excess calcium in the blood.
- Paget’s disease or reflex systematic dystrophy.
- If you want to know more about calcitonin.
- See what calcitonin is and what it’s for.
The calcitonin test may be requested to
While these are the main indications, it should be remembered that calcitonin may also be increased under other conditions, such as other cancers, such as leukemia, lung, pancreatic, breast or prostate cancer, in the presence of chronic kidney disease, during bacterial infection, hypergastriemia or as a result of hyperparathyroidism hypercalcemia or other conditions.
Calcitonin is tested in the lab at your doctor’s request, where a blood sample is taken to obtain reference levels.
Calcitonin values are influenced by various conditions, including the use of certain medications, such as omeprazole or corticosteroids, age, pregnancy, smoking, and alcohol consumption, so one way to make the test more reliable is to perform it with the calcium or pentagastrine infusion test, other than powerful calcitonin secretion stimulators.
The calcium infusion calcitonin stimulation test is the most available and is performed in the morning, with an empty head, calcium is injected venously, at 0, 2, 5 and 10 minutes after infusion, to assess whether the growth pattern is considered normal or not.
Normal calcitonin reference values may vary depending on the laboratory performing the test, normal values are less than 8.4 pg/ml in men and 5 pg/ml in women, after calcium stimulation the less than 30 pg/ml and positive when they are greater than 100 pg/ml can be considered normal.Between 30 and 99 pg/dl, the test is considered undetermined and more tests should be done to confirm the disease.