title: Elevation of carcinoembryonic antigen coinciding with disease activity of ulcerative colitis.
abstract: We report on three cases of ulcerative colitis who presented with increased levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) during the active stage. All cases were pancolitis with a moderate to severe disease course. After remission induction with medical therapies, serum CEA levels decreased to the normal reference range. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated the existence of CEA not only along with the apical surface of the colonic epithelia but also at the cytosol of the inflamed epithelia where goblet cells were depleted during the active stage. We speculate that CEA was up-regulated by inflammatory response particularly in the process of epithelial regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan. yoshtake@med.showa-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Chitose
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Department of Pathology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Norose
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamochi-Onizuka
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Department of Pathology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawaku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imawari
keywords: Carcinoembryonic antigen; Ulcerative colitis