title: Carcinoembryonic antigen in whole serum.
abstract: A microradioimmunoassay technique is described for detecting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in whole serum. It differs from previous methods in being performed on 0·025 ml of whole serum instead of 5 ml of serum extracted with perchloric acid. The present assay was sufficiently sensitive to detect 85% of carcinomata, localized to the colon, but positive results occurred also with certain non-gastrointestinal cancers, chiefly lung and breast, and certain non-malignant diseases. Many of the latter sera, with the general exception of alcoholic cirrhosis and pancreatitis, gave negative results after extraction with perchloric acid. It is suggested that a direct assay for CEA in whole serum may permit testing of large numbers of sera by laboratories with facilities for radioimmunoassays.
mesh_terms: D000645:Ammonium Sulfate; D000818:Animals; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008722:Methods; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010472:Perchlorates; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D005719:gamma-Globulins
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D010472:Perchlorates; D005719:gamma-Globulins; D000645:Ammonium Sulfate