Prognostic determinants for lung cancer patients with preoperative high serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels.
BACKGROUND
Several reports have indicated that preoperative high serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels are associated with poor survival after surgical resection in lung cancer.


METHODS
82 consecutive lung cancer patients with preoperative high serum CEA levels (> 5 ng/mL) were included in this study. Postoperative serum CEA level was also measured. Prognostic indicators were evaluated.


RESULTS
Among patients with a preoperative high serum CEA level, a serum CEA level higher than 10 ng/mL, pT status, pN status, and positive pleural lavage cytology findings were unfavorable prognostic indicators, whereas age, gender, smoking status, histologic subtype were not. Postoperative serum CEA levels of all but 2 patients decreased, however those of 28 patients did not return to normal range. Our result showed that patients with postoperative high serum CEA level had poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pT status, pN status, and postoperative high serum CEA level was an independent prognostic determinant.


CONCLUSIONS
In lung cancer patients with preoperative high serum CEA levels, pT status, pN status, and normalization of serum CEA level after surgery are significant prognostic determinants.
Tomita
M
M
Department of Surgery II, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, Japan. mtomita@post.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
Matsuzaki
Y
Y
Shimizu
T
T
Hara
M
M
Ayabe
T
T
Onitsuka
T
T
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen