Carcinoembryonic antigen test for recurrent colorectal carcinoma. Inadequacy for early detection
C. G. Moertel, A. J. Schutt and V. L. Go
Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tests were performed on 36 patients
with histologically proved locally recurrent or residual malignant disease
after resection of colorectal carcinoma but with no clinical evidence of
distant metastasis. Only nine patients (25%) had abnormal CEA levels of
greater than 5 ng/ml despite the fact that most patients had had symptoms
of recurrence for several months. Among the nine of our patients, none had
CEA values greater than 5 ng/ml, and only three had levels greater than 2.5
ng/ml (3.4, 3.8, and 4.7 ng/ml). The CEA assay is not a sensitive test for
early detection of recurrence of colorectal carcinoma.
