Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Procalcitonin as Additional Markers in the Diagnostic Workup for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Combining calcitonin and procalcitonin in a two-step test achieved 100% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity for diagnosing medullary thyroid carcinoma. Progastrin-releasing peptide alone had low sensitivity (69.2%) and added no diagnostic value.
Key Numbers
396 patients total (335 discovery, 61 validation). 44 MTC, 186 other thyroid cancers, 166 benign. CT+PCT combination: 100% sensitivity, 100% NPV, 99.7% specificity, 97.7% PPV. ProGRP sensitivity only 69.2%.
How They Did This
Prospective study in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Discovery cohort (Netherlands, 2013-2025) and validation cohort (Switzerland). Preoperative serum calcitonin, procalcitonin, proGRP, and CEA measured. Two-step diagnostic approach tested.
Why This Research Matters
Calcitonin testing for medullary thyroid cancer has a high false-positive rate. Adding procalcitonin as a second step in the 10-100 pg/mL calcitonin range nearly eliminates false positives while catching all true cases.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single-center discovery cohort in a tertiary referral center. Moderate validation cohort size. Performance in low-prevalence screening settings may differ.
Trust & Context
- Original Title:
- Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Procalcitonin as Additional Markers in the Diagnostic Workup for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
- Published In:
- Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association, 35(9), 1030-1038 (2025)
- Authors:
- Schonebaum, Leonoor E, van den Berg, Sjoerd A A, van Balkum, Mathé, Visser, W Edward, Giovanella, Luca, Peeters, Robin P
- Database ID:
- RPEP-13470
Evidence Hierarchy
Read More on RethinkPeptides
Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-13470APA
Schonebaum, Leonoor E; van den Berg, Sjoerd A A; van Balkum, Mathé; Visser, W Edward; Giovanella, Luca; Peeters, Robin P. (2025). Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Procalcitonin as Additional Markers in the Diagnostic Workup for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.. Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association, 35(9), 1030-1038. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2024.0293
MLA
Schonebaum, Leonoor E, et al. "Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Procalcitonin as Additional Markers in the Diagnostic Workup for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.." Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2024.0293
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Procalcitonin as Additional..." RPEP-13470. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/schonebaum-2025-progastrinreleasing-peptide-and-procalcitonin
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.