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Charting a course through the CEAs: diagnosis and management of medullary thyroid cancer
Author(s) -
Rowe Christopher W.,
Bendinelli Cino,
McGrath Shaun
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/cen.13114
Subject(s) - medicine , medullary thyroid cancer , carcinoembryonic antigen , thyroid cancer , positron emission tomography , context (archaeology) , incidentaloma , colorectal cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , fluorodeoxyglucose , cancer , radiology , thyroid , paleontology , biology
Summary Medullary thyroid cancer ( MTC ) is an uncommon thyroid cancer that requires a high index of suspicion to facilitate diagnosis of early‐stage disease amenable to surgical cure. The challenges of diagnosis, as well as management in the setting of persistent disease, are explored in the context of a case presenting with the incidental finding of elevated carcinoembryonic antigen ( CEA ) and an 18 F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ( 18 F‐ FDG ‐ PET )‐positive thyroid incidentaloma detected following treatment of colorectal cancer. Strategies to individualize prognosis, and emerging PET ‐based imaging modalities, particularly the potential role of 18 F‐ DOPA ‐ PET in staging, are reviewed.