title: Circulating anti-CEA antibodies in the sera of patients with breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to detect circulating anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibodies (anti-CEA) in breast cancer patients and to evaluate their clinical and prognostic significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two breast cancer patients and 28 controls were included in this study. Detection of anti-CEA antibodies was performed using a modified enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA). Sensitivity, specificity and usefulness index of anti-CEA antibodies were compared to those of CEA. The correlation of anti-CEA antibodies with survival and recurrence-free survival was tested with univariate and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-CEA was present in 57% of breast cancer patients and in 11% of controls. The sensitivity and usefulness index of anti-CEA were significantly better than those of CEA. The specificity of anti-CEA antibodies was less than that of CEA, the difference not being statistically significant. Anti-CEA antibodies were an independent statistically significant, favourable factor in recurrence-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-CEA antibodies circulate in breast cancer patients. They could be used as a more sensitive tumour marker than CEA. Their presence is associated with improved recurrence-free survival. These results should be confirmed in a larger series.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Laikon Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haidopoulos
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Konstadoulakis
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Antonakis
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Alexiou
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Manouras
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Katsaragakis
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Androulakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M