title: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA): its role as a monitor of radiation therapy for colorectal cancer.
abstract: Serial CEA radioimmunoassays have been performed on patients receiving radiation therapy preoperatively or as treatment of recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. Pretreatment circulating CEA titers which were elevated showed a significant decrease with accumulating doses of irradiation, indicating that the bulk of CEA-producing tumor was within the radiation therapy portal. The decrease of circulating CEA with preoperative radiation therapy was short-lived and suggested that surgical resection should be performed within 8 weeks of irradiation. Serial CEA titers are useful as an adjunct to other clinical, laboratory and radiologic data in formulating patient management decisions.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen