{
  "abstract": "Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is commonly raised in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and has an established role in postoperative monitoring to detect early recurrence. CEA is not recommended as a screening tool for CRC; however, a de novo raised level mandates further investigation with a colonoscopy. This report describes a patient referred from primary care with a raised CEA and functional bowel symptomatology who went on to have a normal colonoscopy. The persistently rising CEA prompted a repeat colonoscopy, upper gastrointestinal and small bowel investigation and a CT of the abdomen and pelvis, without any cause being found. Finally, a CT-positron emission tomography scan revealed localised uptake in the thyroid gland, with a fine-needle aspiration confirming a diagnosis of medullary cell thyroid carcinoma with regional lymph node involvement.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, England, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Lucy Alyssa Hebden"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster, England, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Abuajela Sreh"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "John Miles Hebden"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Functional bowel disease symptoms and a de novo raised carcinoembryonic antigen: delayed diagnosis of medullary cell thyroid carcinoma",
  "uid": "b15f52d2-17ab-594c-a486-b9dfa19469cb"
}