Results of long‐term continuous subcutaneous octreotide administration in 14 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma

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Abstract
Objective Treatment by octreotide has been suggested In medullary thyroid carcinoma patients with post-surgery metastases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate If the tumoral regression could be Improved by a high dose and by prolonged octreotide treatment design Fourteen thyrofdectomized patients were studled. All patients had persistently elevated plasma calcltonin levels with normal or elevated carclno-embryonlc antigen levels. Five hundred μ g/day of octreotide were administered by continuous subcutaneous Infusion for 90 days. measurements Plasma calcltonin and carcino-embryo-nic antigen levels were determined at days –30, –20, –2, –1, 0, +30, +60, +90, +120; morphological extension was evaluated every month results Continuous infusion of octreotide did not Induce any significant decrease of calcitonln levels, or any morphological improvement, and had no major undesirable effect. However, in 4/14 patients calcitonln levels fell during treatment (–43, –50, –15, –20%), and in 9 patients calcitonln increased (+ 22 to +130%) after cessation of therapy conclusion Biological or morphological parameters of medullary thyroid carcinoma are not significantly improved in a large series of patients treated by octreotide