title: Carcinoembryonic antigen in patients treated with radiation therapy for invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
abstract: Plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in 75 patients with invasive cervical cancer were measured during and after radiation therapy. Initial CEA levels were elevated in 65% of the patients, the incidence varying with stage of disease. Of the 32 patients followed during therapy, CEA levels rose in 26 (81%). CEA values after therapy in the same 32 patients showed three patterns: (1) decline to normal, associated with a disease-free state; (2) decline but not to normal, associated with heavy cigarette smoking or persistent disease; and (3) decline to normal, followed by a rise to abnormal, associated with tumor recurrence. Elevation of CEA levels preceded recognition of recurrent cervical cancer by as much as 4 months in five of seven patients.
mesh_terms: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000532:radiotherapy*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen