title: Prognostic value of preoperative CEA and CA 19-9 levels in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the prognostic value of the preoperative CEA and CA 19-9 levels on the survival time and TNM staging in patients with colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed 172 patients who underwent potentially curative resection of colorectal cancer (TNM I-III) between 2002 and 2007. Clinical data were obtained from medical charts, including age, gender, tumor location, TNM stage, mortality, follow-up duration, and preoperative CEA and CA 19-9 levels. A CEA > or = 5ng/mL was defined as abnormal (CEA+), while the cutoff for the CA19-9 was set at 37U/mL (CA19-9+). Patients were categorized into Groups I-IV according to the preoperative serum CEA and CA 19-9 levels [CEA/ CA 19-9: (-/-), (+/-), (-/+), and (+/+)].
  
  
  RESULTS
  Follow-up was longest for Group I (p<0.001). Mortality rates were higher in Groups V (p<0.001) and II (p<0.008). On comparing patients according to CEA levels, survival was longer in the CEA-negative group (p=0.0001). On comparison according to CA 19-9 levels, survival was greater in the CA 19-9-negative group (p=0.0001). While CEA (p<0.016) and CA 19-9 (p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors according to the logistic regression analysis, TNM (p=0.002), CEA (p<0.001), and CA 19-9 (p<0.001) were prognostic factors in the ROC curve analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Colorectal cancer patients with elevated levels of both CEA and CA 19-9 have a significantly poorer prognosis than those with normal levels of these tumor markers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Diyarbakir Education and Research Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basbug
authors.forename: Zulfu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Arikanoglu
authors.forename: Nurullah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bulbuller
authors.forename: Ziya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aygen
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akbulut
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Satici
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen