What is a medullary thyroid cancer?

Also known as: medullary carcinoma, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland, MTC.

The thyroid is a midline endocrine gland (secretes hormones) found at the base of the neck. Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a form of cancer that originates in a particular cell in the thyroid gland.

This particular cell secretes a hormone (calcitonin) that plays an important role regulating calcium levels in the body. It occurs much more commonly in girls.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM