Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36600874›Full record

ArticleCureus2022

Case Report: A Challenging Clinical Problem of Calcitonin-Negative Medullary Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Surveillance.

Wania Rafaey, Asim Munir Alvi, Ahmed Imran Siddiqi, Waqas Shafiq, Hira Irfan

Open access · diamondAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 46% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Wania RafaeyEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, PAK.
Asim Munir AlviEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, PAK.
Ahmed Imran SiddiqiEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, PAK.
Waqas ShafiqEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, PAK.
Hira IrfanEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, PAK.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center · PK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is a rare neuroendocrine carcinoma that originates from the malignant proliferation of parafollicular C cells. In almost 100% of the cases, medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is associated with high levels of calcitonin and carcinoembryonic acid (CEA). Both carcinoembryonic antigen and calcitonin are used for the diagnosis and surveillance of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Calcitonin-negative medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is an extremely rare entity that is characterized by classic medullary carcinoma of the thyroid morphology without raised serum calcitonin levels. We describe the case of a middle-aged lady who presented with a few-month history of neck swelling associated with compressive symptoms. CT of the neck showed a large right thyroid nodule with central necrosis and retrosternal extension to the superior mediastinum. There was also a 360-degree encasement of the right common carotid artery. She underwent fine needle aspiration (FNAC) of the right thyroid nodule, and histopathology showed typical features of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Immunohistochemical staining for calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen was negative but positive for other neuroendocrine markers, i.e., synaptophysin and chromogranin A. Serum calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen levels were also in the normal range. So, a rare diagnosis of calcitonin-negative medullary carcinoma of the thyroid was made. As the disease was inoperable because of vascular encasement, a plan for external beam radiation therapy (ERBT) to the neck was made. Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid with normal serum levels of calcitonin is a very rare entity, with only a few cases reported in the literature. In this case report, we have presented a rare case of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) with normal-range serum calcitonin levels, how it was diagnosed, and how to follow up postoperatively.

Indexed as

calcitonincalcitonin negative medullary thyroid carcinomacarcinoembryoinic antigenmedullary thyroid carcinomathyroid nodule

Identifiers

PMID36600874
PMCPMC9803929
OpenAlexW4310490814

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.