Carcinoembryonic antigen and head and neck cancer.
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentrations were determined in the sera of 45 patients with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and of 13 controls. In 13 patients serial CEA measurements were made during the follow-up period. In 38% of the patients the serum CEA level was slightly elevated (greater than or equal to 2.5 ng/ml). Only 13% of the patients had clearly elevated CEA levels (greater than 5 ng/ml). CEA levels were significantly higher in patients with advanced, e.g. stage IV, disease but a correlation between serum CEA concentration and prognosis was not found. Patients who smoked had significantly higher serum CEA levels than non-smoking patients. In the serial determinations slight CEA elevations could be found in only 50% of patients with tumour recurrence. Combined with the data from the literature we conclude that serum CEA determination is not useful in predicting the outcome in patients with a head and neck squamous carcinoma.
Laarman
D A
DA
Department of Otolaryngology, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
van Kamp
G J
GJ
Balm
A J
AJ
Braakhuis
B J
BJ
Snow
G B
GB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen