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Carcinoembryonic Antigen
Aka: Carcinoembryonic Antigen, CEA
- See Also
- Tumor Marker
- Indications
- Stage II or III (Duke B1-C1) Colon Cancer monitoring
- Do not use to screen for Colon Cancer or other cancer
- Interpretation
- Normal
- Non-smokers: <2.5 mg/ml
- Smokers: <5 ng/ml
- Increased
- Benign disease unlikely if >10 ng/ml
- Distant metastasis most likely if >100 ng/ml
- Efficacy
- Not specific
- Seen in other adenocarcinoma (see below)
- Sensitivity varies by tumor stage and differentiation
- CEA not increased in poorly differentiated tumors
- Increased in <25% of Duke A or B stage Colon Cancer
- Increased in 50% with Duke C stage Colon Cancer
- Increased in 75% of Duke D stage Colon Cancer
- Causes of increased CEA
- Benign causes
- Tobacco Abuse
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Pancreatitis
- Hypothyroidism
- Cirrhosis
- Malignant causes
- Colon Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Gastric Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Melanoma
- Lymphoma
- Protocol for monitoring after Colorectal Cancer resection
- Repeat CEA level q2-3 months for 2 years
- References
- Bast (2001) J Clin Oncol 19:1865-78 [PubMed]
- Fletcher (1996) Ann Intern Med 104:66-73 [PubMed]
- Longo (2002) Surg Clin North Am 82(5):1091-108 [PubMed]