Calcitonin

Calcitonin is a hormone secreted by the parafollicular
C cells of the thyroid gland, that acts on calcium
levels by modulating the ability to clearance of renal
calcium and reducing bone resorption. It is unclear,
however, the physiological result of this modulation.
An excess of Calcitonin in the blood tissue may be
indicative of the onset of malignant tumor medullary
thyroid cancer (MTC), that mainly (80% of cases)
appears sporadically, but that also has a familial
component (20% of cases).
A moderate increase of Calcitonin in the blood can be
found in the states of pregnancy, pernicious anemia,
renal dysfunction, and during the neonatal period.
Therefore, the quantification of Calcitonin in the blood
tissue can be useful mainly in the diagnosis and
follow-up of MTC, but also in the study of the
pathophysiology of calcium and bone metabolism.