Carcino-embryonic antigen--no help with the differential diagnosis
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E G Cobben-Beld1, J W Nortier, W L Kramer
1Department of Internal Medicine, Eemland Hospital, Amersfoort, Netherlands.
The Netherlands Journal of Medicine
|March 1, 1996
Abstract:
Two patients who were referred because of an increase in serum carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) were diagnosed after a number of years as having a medullary thyroid carcinoma. The relationship between CEA and medullary thyroid carcinoma is discussed. The serum level of CEA is neither sensitive nor specific enough to serve as a diagnostic tool. Its determination, however, is useful in the follow-up of patients with carcinoma of the breast, colo-rectal carcinoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma.