Test Catalog

Test Id : CATN

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Calcitonin, Serum

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Overview

Test Catalog

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Aids in the diagnosis and follow-up of medullary thyroid carcinoma

 

Aids in the evaluation of multiple endocrine neoplasia type II and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma

 

This test is not useful for evaluating calcium metabolic diseases.

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Calcitonin, S

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

CT (Calcitonin)

Thyrocalcitonin

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Serum

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Patient Preparation: For 12 hours before specimen collection, patient should not take multivitamins or dietary supplements (eg, hair, skin, and nail supplements) containing biotin (vitamin B7).

Supplies: Sarstedt Aliquot Tube, 5 mL (T914)

Collection Container/Tube:

Preferred: Serum gel

Acceptable: Red top

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Specimen Volume: 1 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. After collection, immediately place specimen on ice.

2. Refrigerate specimen during centrifugation and immediately transfer serum to a plastic vial.

Forms

If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send an Oncology Test Request (T729) with the specimen.

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the testing laboratory. The minimum volume is sufficient for one attempt at testing.

0.75 mL

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

Gross hemolysis Reject
Gross lipemia OK

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Serum Frozen (preferred) 90 days
Refrigerated 24 hours
Ambient 8 hours

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Aids in the diagnosis and follow-up of medullary thyroid carcinoma

 

Aids in the evaluation of multiple endocrine neoplasia type II and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma

 

This test is not useful for evaluating calcium metabolic diseases.

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the parafollicular cells (also referred to as calcitonin cells or C cells) of the thyroid gland. The main action of calcitonin is the inhibition of bone resorption by regulating the number and activity of osteoclasts. Calcitonin is secreted in direct response to serum hypercalcemia and may prevent large oscillations in serum calcium levels and excessive loss of body calcium. However, in comparison to parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the role of calcitonin in the regulation of serum calcium in humans is minor. Measurements of serum calcitonin levels are, therefore, not useful in the diagnosis of disorders of calcium homeostasis.

 

Malignant tumors arising from thyroid C cells (medullary thyroid carcinoma: MTC) usually produce elevated levels of calcitonin. MTC is an uncommon malignant thyroid tumor, comprising less than 5% of all thyroid malignancies. Approximately 25% of these are familial cases, usually appearing as a component of multiple endocrine neoplasia type II (MENII, Sipple syndrome). MTC may also occur in families without other associated endocrine dysfunction, with similar autosomal dominant transmission as MENII, which is then called familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). Variants in the RET proto-oncogene are associated with MENII and FMTC.

 

Serum calcitonin concentrations are high in infants, decline rapidly, and are relatively stable from childhood through adulthood. In general, calcitonin serum concentrations are higher in men than in women due to the larger C-cell mass in men. Serum calcitonin concentrations may be increased in patients with chronic kidney failure, and other conditions such as hyperparathyroidism, leukemic and myeloproliferative disorders, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, autoimmune thyroiditis, small cell and large cell lung cancers, breast and prostate cancer, mastocytosis, and various neuroendocrine tumors, in particular, islet cell tumors.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

Pediatric

1 month: < or =34 pg/mL

2 months: < or =31 pg/mL

3 months: < or =28 pg/mL

4 months: < or =26 pg/mL

5 months: < or =24 pg/mL

6 months: < or =22 pg/mL

7 months: < or =20 pg/mL

8 months: < or =19.0 pg/mL

9 months: < or =17.0 pg/mL

10 months: < or =16.0 pg/mL

11 months: < or =15.0 pg/mL

12-14 months: < or =14.0 pg/mL

15-17 months: < or =12.0 pg/mL

18-20 months: < or =10.0 pg/mL

21-23 months: < or =9.0 pg/mL

2 years: < or =8.0 pg/mL

3-9 years: < or =7.0 pg/mL

10-15 years: < or =6.0 pg/mL

16 years: < or =5.0 pg/mL

 

Adults

17 years and older:

Males: < or =14.3 pg/mL

Females: < or =7.6 pg/mL

 

For International System of Units (SI) conversion for Reference Values, see www.mayocliniclabs.com/order-tests/si-unit-conversion.html.

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

Although most patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) have high basal serum calcitonin concentrations, 30% of those with familial MTC or multiple endocrine neoplasia type II have normal basal levels.

 

In completely cured cases following surgical therapy for MTC, serum calcitonin levels fall into the undetectable range over a variable period of several weeks. Persistently elevated postoperative serum calcitonin levels usually indicate incomplete cure. The reasons for this can be locoregional lymph node spread or distant metastases. In most of these cases, imaging procedures are required for further workup. Those individuals who are then found to suffer only locoregional spread may benefit from additional surgical procedures. However, the survival benefits derived from such approaches are still debated.

 

A rise in previously undetectable or very low postoperative serum calcitonin levels is highly suggestive of disease recurrence or spread and should trigger further diagnostic evaluations.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Falsely elevated values may occur in serum from patients who have developed human antimouse antibodies or heterophilic antibodies.

 

In rare cases, interference due to extremely high titers of antibodies to analyte-specific antibodies, streptavidin, or ruthenium can occur.

 

Values obtained with different assay methods or kits may be different and cannot be used interchangeably. Test results cannot be interpreted as absolute evidence for the presence or absence of malignant disease.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

1. Wells SA Jr, Asa SL, Dralle H, et al. Revised American Thyroid Association guidelines for the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid. 2015;25(6):567-610

2. Griebeler ML, Gharib H, Thompson GB. Medullary thyroid carcinoma. Endocr Pract. 2013;19(4):703-711

3. Richards ML. Familial syndromes associated with thyroid cancer in the era of personalized medicine. Thyroid. 2010;20(7):707-713

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

Testing is performed on the Roche Cobas. The Roche human calcitonin (hCT) assay is a sandwich electrochemiluminescence immunoassay that employs a biotinylated monoclonal hCT-specific antibody and a monoclonal hCT-specific antibody. Calcitonin in the specimen reacts with both the biotinylated monoclonal hCT-specific antibody and the monoclonal hCT-specific antibody labeled with a ruthenium complex, forming a sandwich complex. Streptavidin-coated microparticles are added and the mixture is aspirated into the measuring cell where the microparticles are magnetically captured onto the surface of the electrode. Unbound substances are then removed with ProCell. Application of voltage to the electrode induces the chemiluminescent emission, which is then measured.(Package insert: Elecsys Calcitonin. Roche Diagnostics; V 2.0, 12/2021)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday through Saturday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

1 to 3 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

2 weeks

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

  • Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

82308

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
CATN Calcitonin, S 1992-7
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
CATN Calcitonin, S 1992-7

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports