Medullary thyroid carcinoma is an infrequent and unusual malignancy. Since its description 15 years ago, many new features have developed. Many biologically active compounds which are directly related to the different symptoms of the disease have been recovered from the tumors. A familial incidence is noted, and there is an increased association with other tumors and their behavior. The cell of origin is the parafollicular cell, which secretes calcitonin and is responsible for the unusual behavior of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Treatment is primiarily surgical. Four cases are presented and the syndrome reviewed.
Herein, we report the case of a 42-year-old woman, hospitalized in a French tertiary hospital for a relapse of a chronic enteropathy, who was found on admission to have no detectable serum transferrin. Surprisingly, she only exhibited mild anaemia. This atransferrinemia persisted for two months throughout her hospitalization, during which her haemoglobin concentration remained broadly stable. Based on her clinical history and evolution, we concluded to an acquired atransferrinemia secondary to chronic undernutrition, inflammation and liver failure. We discuss the investigations performed in this patient, and hypotheses regarding the relative stability of her haemoglobin concentration despite the absence of detectable transferrin.
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