title: Carcinoembryonic antigen as a selective enhancer of colorectal cancer metastasis.
abstract: Although the serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is directly associated with a poor prognosis in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC), its function is obscure. As a member of the immunoglobulin supergene family, CEA may be involved with intercellular recognition and binding and facilitate attachment of CRC to sites of metastasis. In an experimental metastasis model of CRC in athymic nude mice, a systemic injection of CEA enhanced experimental liver metastasis and implantation in liver by a weakly metastatic CRC. This CRC also selectively bound to CEA that was attached to plastic. Thus, CEA may function as an attachment factor for CRC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Hostetter
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Augustus
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mankarious
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toth
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jessup
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000276:immunology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010969:Plastics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D010969:Plastics