Elevated CEA in breast cancer patients with overlooked medullary thyroid carcinoma.
After mastectomy and radiation for breast cancer, two patients were found to have persistent elevated CEA in their serum. This finding was erroneously attributed to occult metastases for the first patient and to local recurrence for the second. Overlooked medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) was the causal disease in both patients. A review of the literature stresses the frequency of CEA elevation in serum of MTC patients. A thorough search for any possible cause of elevated levels of CEA is advocated, particularly by thyroid sonogram with a needle aspiration biopsy when a nodule is discovered and by calcitonin assay in the serum.
Andry
G
G
Institut Jules Bordet, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Centre des Tumeurs de l'Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
Wildschutz
T
T
Chantrain
G
G
Bonnyns
M
M
Dor
P
P
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000276:immunology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology*; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009377:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia / Q000276:immunology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen