title: Importance of CEA and CA 15-3 during disease progression in metastatic breast cancer patients.
abstract: The aim of this study analysis was to determine the correlation between elevation of CEA and/or CA 15-3 and disease progression of metastatic breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated 119 breast cancer patients who had metachronous metastases. We evaluated levels of CEA and CA 15-3 at the time of first recurrence and at every further disease progression (PD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increasing value levels of CEA as well as CA 15-3 were found in correlation to the number of PD with a continuously increasing sensitivity in the detection of metastatic disease for each marker alone and especially in combination. At the first time of distant metastasis, CEA and CA 15-3 were above the 95th percentile of healthy individuals in 53.5% and 71.8%, respectively. During disease progression the sensitivities were: 1st PD for CEA/ CA 15-3 54.1%/ 70.6%, 2nd PD 63.5%/ 81.2% and 3rd PD 68.6%/ 90%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a correlation between elevation of CEA and/or CA 15-3 and disease progression, in breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laessig
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Untch
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kahlert
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bauerfeind
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stieber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D018396:Mucin-1