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Carcinoembryonic antigen in breast cancer
Author(s) -
Myers Robert E.,
Sutherland Donald J.,
Meakin James W.,
Kellen John A.,
Malkin Dina G.,
Malkin Aaron
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197809)42:3+<1520::aid-cncr2820420825>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - carcinoembryonic antigen , medicine , breast cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , gastroenterology , cancer , cancer antigen , oncology , surgery , paleontology , biology
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were determined in 742 postoperative patients with breast cancer. Within this group the percentage of elevated (≥ 4.0 ng/ml) assays increased with UICC clinical stage and was 14.8% (12/81), 23.7% (27/114), 73.1% (190/260) and 20.0% (49/245) for stages I, 11, 111, IV and X (unstagable due to insufficient data) patients. We have now followed the above 482 stages I, II, III and X patients in whom CEA was performed ≤3 months after initial surgery at a time when there was no evidence of residual disease, for an average interval of 255 days from date of diagnosis. At present 16.2% (17/105) of patients with elevated CEA values compared to only 4.8% (18/377) of patients with normal values have developed recurrent disease (p < .0005). There is an association of elevation of CEA postoperatively with different clinical stages of breast cancer. Elevated CEA levels postoperatively are associated with an increased risk of development of recurrent disease in breast cancer patients.