Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32884516›Full record

ArticleCase reports in gastroenterology

Diarrhea as an Initial Presentation in Patients with Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Delaying the Diagnosis.

Mohamed K M Shakir, Andrew J Spiro, Vinh Q Mai, Thanh D Hoang

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Case reports in gastroenterology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 48% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Urolithiasis in patients with cancer.Nature reviews. Urology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mohamed K M ShakirDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Andrew J SpiroDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Vinh Q MaiDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Thanh D HoangDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tumoral secretion of various molecular factors, such as calcitonin (Ct), can cause diarrhea in patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). We report 3 patients (age 26-38 years, serum Ct levels ranging from 2,890 to 52,894 ng/L) with chronic diarrhea, and the diagnosis of MTC was delayed. Diarrheal symptoms improved after thyroid surgery. Two patients with elevated Ct had no diarrhea. The link between tumor humoral secretion and diarrhea is not well established in patients with MTC. Diarrhea is more common in patients with metastatic disease and improves after resection of the tumor. Diarrhea may result from elevated circulating levels of Ct or other substances, such as prostaglandins or serotonin. Other proposed mechanisms include decreased absorption in the colon secondary to gastrointestinal motor disturbances. In conclusion, MTC should be considered when evaluating chronic diarrhea.

Indexed as

Chronic diarrheaMedullary thyroid cancer

Identifiers

PMID32884516
PMCPMC7443648
OpenAlexW3046843472

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.