title: Prognostic determinants for lung cancer patients with preoperative high serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, Japan. mtomita@post.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ayabe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onitsuka
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen