Medullary thyroid carcinoma: a narrative historical review.

Sporadic or hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an uncommon thyroid malignancy arising from calcitonin secreting parafollicular C cells. Interestingly, MTC and calcitonin were distinct entities that were discovered independently yet concurrently, and their association was unknown. This review aims to present a historical review of the evolution of our understanding of MTC and its tumor marker calcitonin to highlight the prominent individuals that influenced and shaped our knowledge of this uncommon thyroid cancer type up to the dawn of the 21 Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment for localized MTC. However, several new treatment options are either available or in development for advanced or metastatic MTC, including several novel small molecules targeting oncogenic