title: Pre-operative carcino-embryonic antigen and survival in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: The relationship between pre-operative levels of carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), resectability of the primary tumour, the extent of tumour spread and subsequent survival was studied in 333 patients with colorectal cancer. Twenty-five per cent of patients undergoing 'curative' resection had elevated CEA levels compared with fifty-six per cent of patients receiving palliative treatment. Twenty-five per cent of patients with Dukes B or C tumours had elevated pre-operative CEA levels compared with seventy per cent of patients with stage D disease. In patients undergoing 'curative' resection there was no correlation between pre-operative CEA levels and subsequent survival. In patients undergoing palliative resection, elevated pre-operative CEA levels were associated with poor survival. Although pre-operative levels of CEA reflect the extent of the underlying disease process, estimations of pre-operative CEA levels are of limited value in predicting patients with a poor prognosis following curative resection for colorectal carcinoma.
mesh_terms: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen