CEA | Carcinoembryonic Antigen

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker mainly used for the diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and relapse control of colorectal cancer (adenocarcinoma of the large and small intestines). CEA is a glycoprotein normally produced in the fetal digestive tract, but its concentration in the blood is very low in adults. Significantly increased CEA levels are most often found in colorectal adenocarcinoma, but this marker can also increase in other types of tumors.

Moderate or slight increases in CEA can be observed in benign diseases of the intestines, pancreas, liver, or lungs, such as liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease. It is also important to know that smoking can increase CEA levels, so this should be considered when interpreting test results.

The CEA test is mainly used not for diagnosis but for monitoring the course of the disease, especially after surgical tumor resection or chemotherapy. Changes in CEA help assess potential recurrence or metastasis spread.

Testing principle: CEA concentration is determined by an immunochemical method from venous blood. Results are presented in ng/ml units. For evaluating disease progression, CEA concentration is tested repeatedly at certain time intervals.

Recommendations:

• Recommended for patients with colorectal carcinoma or suspected recurrence.
• Useful for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment after surgical tumor removal or chemotherapy.
• Assigned for evaluating the course of other malignant tumors (breast, liver, lung, pancreas cancer).
• Performed together with other markers to determine disease stage or presence of metastases.
• Smoking can affect CEA concentration, so it is necessary to inform the doctor about this factor.
• It is recommended to fast for at least 12 hours before the test.