title: Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen and prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: The relationship between preoperative CEA, Dukes staging and disease recurrence, was analyzed in 92 patients with colon-rectal cancer, all who underwent curative surgery. Sixty-five of the 92 patients were followed for 36 months. A significant increase in disease recurrence risk is observable starting from a preoperative CEA value of greater than 7.5 ng/ml; corresponding values as such are verified by a significant fall in the actuarial survival curve in comparison to the progress of the curves of the other two groups with lower CEA values. A statistically significant correlation between preoperative CEA and staging was not observed, while both parameters result statistically very reliable (p less than 0.001) for prognosis; preoperative CEA values, less or greater than 7.5 ng/ml can help to stratify the Dukes tumours with respect to the probability of recurrence.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen