What is calcitonin blood test used for?

Calcitonin helps control the breakdown and rebuilding of bone. A common reason to have the test is if you have had surgery to remove a thyroid tumor called medullary thyroid cancer. The test allows your health care provider to evaluate if the tumor has spread (metastasized) or has come back (tumor recurrence).

What does a low calcitonin levels indicate?

Higher levels of calcitonin could mean that you have medullary thyroid cancer or that your cancer has returned. Lower levels mean your tumor is shrinking. Having cancer of the breast, lung, or pancreas can also raise levels.

What should your calcitonin level be?

Calcitonin reference ranges are dependent on the method used for assessment. Basal (plasma) : Males: ≤19 pg/mL or ≤19 ng/L (SI units) Females: ≤14 pg/mL or ≤14 ng/L (SI units)

What happens if calcitonin is too high?

While the excess calcitonin doesn’t affect your body, MTC can, and frequently does, spread to other tissues (metastasizes), especially lymph nodes. C-cell hyperplasia: This is a benign (noncancerous) condition that causes abnormal growth of C-cells in your thyroid. The enlarged tissue can release excess calcitonin.

Is calcitonin a tumor marker?

Calcitonin is a type of tumor marker. Tumor markers are substances made by cancer cells or by normal cells in response to cancer in the body. If too much calcitonin is found in the blood, it may be a sign of a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

What causes elevated calcitonin levels?

Several cases of thyroid nodules associated with increased values of calcitonin are not medullary thyroid carcinomas, but rather are related to other conditions, such as hypercalcemias, hypergastrinemias, neuroendocrine tumors, renal insufficiency, papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas, and goiter.

What happens if you have too little calcitonin?

A lack of calcitonin in the blood may increase a person’s risk of bone degradation and osteopenia, a condition that occurs when the rate in which the body reabsorbs old bone exceeds the rate in which it produces new bone.

Should I worry if my calcium is high?

Too much calcium in your blood can weaken your bones, create kidney stones, and interfere with how your heart and brain work. Hypercalcemia is usually a result of overactive parathyroid glands.

What causes elevated calcitonin?

Does calcitonin test require fasting?

Preparation: Fasting for 10-12 hours required. Test Results: 4-6 days. May take longer based on weather, holiday or lab delays.

Is calcitonin involved in Graves disease?

The results suggest that the calcitonin reserves in Graves’ disease are normal and that the bone abnormalities typical of this disease are unrelated to any change in calcitonin secretion. The serum calcitonin levels of patients with subacute thyroiditis were identical with those of the controls.

What is the most common cause of low calcium?

Hypoalbuminemia is the most common cause of hypocalcemia. Causes include cirrhosis, nephrosis, malnutrition, burns, chronic illness, and sepsis.

Can vitamin D cause high calcium levels?

Supplements. Taking excessive amounts of calcium or vitamin D supplements over time can raise calcium levels in your blood above normal.

What effect does calcitonin have on the body?

Calcitonin is involved in helping to regulate levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood, opposing the action of parathyroid hormone. This means that it acts to reduce calcium levels in the blood.

Does TSH affect calcitonin?

It is well known that circulating thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) controls the secretion of 3,3′,5-triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), and calcium ions control the secretion of calcitonin (CT) and parathyroid hormone (PTH).

Does Hashimoto’s affect calcitonin?

Primary hypothyroidism is a common cause of hypothyroidism and is characterized by thyroid gland dysfunction due to radioactive ablation, surgical removal, or autoimmune Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This dysfunction also impacts calcitonin production in the parafollicular C cells.

What cancers cause low calcium?

Hypocalcemia is associated with several types of cancer, but is more frequent in hematological, colorectal, lung, and thyroid cancers. A low calcium level measured at some point in a patient with cancer seems to not be significantly associated with lower survival.

Is low calcium serious?

A long-term calcium deficiency can lead to dental changes, cataracts, alterations in the brain, and osteoporosis, which causes the bones to become brittle. A calcium deficiency may cause no early symptoms. It is usually mild, but without treatment, it can become life threatening.

What are the symptoms of parathyroid tumor?

What are symptoms of a parathyroid tumor?

• Aches and pains, especially in your bones.
• Kidney problems, including pain in your upper back or side.
• Depression.
• Stomach pain.
• Loss of appetite and intense thirst.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Fatigue.

What is a calcitonin test for thyroid cancer?

The health care provider may suggest a calcitonin test when he/she suspects medullary thyroid cancer. Calcitonin may also be elevated in other tumors such as insulinomas, VIPomas, and lung cancer. Calcitonin is a hormone produced in the C cells of the thyroid gland.

How does the thyroid release calcitonin?

Your thyroid releases calcitonin based on the level of calcium in your blood. When your blood calcium levels increase, your thyroid releases calcitonin in higher quantities. When blood calcium levels decrease, your thyroid decreases the amount of calcitonin it releases.

What happens during a calcitonin test?

What happens during a calcitonin test? A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

What is calcitonin (CT)?

Calcitonin (Ct) is a tumour marker essential for the diagnosis and follow-up of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Accurate and consistent measurements of serum Ct are of critical importance.