Abstract
Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) values were determined in 123 patients with colorectal carcinoma preoperatively. Serum CEA titers above 5.1 ng/ml were considered to indicate positive cases. Preoperatively 50.8% of all patietns had a positive test result. According to stage classification, the assay was positive in 9.1% of patients with stage I tumors, 50.9% with stage II, 38.9% with stage III, 33.3% with stage IV and 88.9% with stage V. Among cases of small cancers less than 2 cm in size, there were no positive results.
Histopathological evaluation of the tumor included evidence of lymphatic vessel and venous invasion and degree of wall penetration. A low serum CEA level in colonic cancer cases suggested that the tumor was localized within the bowel wall and the patient underwent curative resection. The higherst values were found in patients with liver metastasis. Serum CEA levels tended to be elevated when hepatic metastasis, peritoneal dissemenation, serous invasion and wall penetration were present. However, CEA value was not directly correlated with either lymphatic vessel or venous invasion.
