title: [Value of radioimmunological serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen in the postoperative monitoring of rectocolonic cancer].
abstract: Fifty four patients, operated for colorectal cancer have been followed up for 2 to 100 months after surgery by carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) determinations and classical, clinical, biological, radiological, echographical, isotopical and tomoscanninvestigations. Each new serum sample has been assayed for CEA with previously collected samples within the same patients. This repetition of CEA on the same samples allows to check the good reproducibility of CEA radioimmunoassay (variation coefficient between assay is less than 10%) and to get a complete profile of CEA level evaluation within the same assay. There is a good correlation between clinical evolution and CEA levels. In 42 patients, CEA levels remained or became normal (less than 10 ng ml) after surgical resection of the tumors and no metastasis or local recurrence were detected. In 12 cases, CEA levels remained or became abnormally high (greater than 20 ng ml) at the same time or before clinical and/or paraclinical evidences for metastases or local recurrence. These results showed CEA assay in a quantitative parameter to assess the follow-up of colorectal cancer complementary to clinical, biological, radiological, echographical and isotopical criterias.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen
vernacular_title: Intérêt du dosage sérique radio-immunologique de l'antigène carcino-embryonnaire (CEA) dans la surveillance des cancers rectocoliques opérés.