Abstract
In order to analyze whether changes of the serum CEA values during first-line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal carcinoma can predict the overall survival, we enrolled 40 patients with elevated serum CEA levels who were receiving first-line chemotherapy with an oxaliplatin-based regimen. First, patients in whom the serum CEA values continued to increase even after the start of chemotherapy were separated into one group. Then, the remaining patients were divided into two groups according to the half-life of serum CEA during first-line chemotherapy. We analyzed the overall survival and percentage of patients who could receive 3rd and further-line chemotherapy in the patient groups. Significant differences in the overall survival and percentages of patients who could receive 3rd or further-line chemotherapy were observed among the groups classified on the basis of changes in the serum CEA values during first-line chemotherapy. The CEA value per se had no relationship to the overall survival. These results suggest that the degree of change of the serum CEA levels during first-line chemotherapy can predict the overall survival in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.
