title: Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level as an independent prognostic factor in potentially curative colon cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the prognostic value of the preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level in patients with colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 474 patients who underwent potentially curative resection for nonmetastatic colon cancer. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the preoperative serum CEA level: low CEA (<5 ng/ml) and high CEA (>or=5 ng/ml) groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the median 45-month follow-up period, the 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates for patients with a low CEA level were 81.7% and 82.4%, respectively, which were significantly higher than the rates for those with a high CEA level (69.9%; P = 0.011 and 70.6%; P = 0.002, respectively). A multivariate analysis revealed that a preoperative serum CEA level was a significant independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (P = 0.021) and disease-free survival (P = 0.026). Both the overall and disease-free survival rates in patients with stage II tumors differed significantly between the low and high CEA groups, whereas the rates did not different between those with stage I and III tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative serum CEA is a reliable predictor of recurrence and survival after curative surgery in patients with colon cancer, particularly in those classified as having stage II disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital and Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Byung Ryul
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Hyeong Rok
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen