Perioperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen Research Articles

Clinical utility of the carcinoembryonic antigen level in patients with stage III colon cancer after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

The association between perioperative and post-adjuvant carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and recurrence and prognosis remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate whether perioperative CEA levels are an integral component of the assessment of recurrence and prognosis of patients with stage III colon cancer (CC). This retrospective study was conducted at the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research from 2005 to 2013. We enrolled patients with stage III CC who underwent complete resection of a primary tumor and received adjuvant chemotherapy. We analyzed the association between perioperative and post-adjuvant CEA levels and recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). A total of 564 consecutive patients were included in the analysis. The RFS and OS of patients with high postoperative CEA levels were significantly worse than those of patients with normal postoperative CEA levels. In the multivariate analysis, high postoperative CEA levels were associated with shorter RFS and OS. The number of risk factors, postoperative CEA levels, and T/N-stage all had a cumulative effect on RFS and OS. High postoperative CEA levels and the number of risk factors are associated with recurrence and worse prognosis for patients with stage III CC.

Clinical Usefulness of Postoperative Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Patients with Colorectal Cancer with Liver Metastases.

Colorectal cancer with liver metastasis (CLM) has high postoperative recurrence rates; therefore, optimizing perioperative treatment is imperative. Postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can aid in detecting minimal residual disease in colon cancer following curative resection. This study aimed to identify the potential role of serum CEA following liver resection in patients with CLM. This retrospective study was conducted at the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research from 2004 to 2018 and enrolled patients with CLM who underwent complete resection of primary tumors and CLM. Associations between perioperative CEA levels and characteristics of recurrence were investigated. Recurrence was detected during a median follow-up period of 90.1 months in 343 (54.2%) out of 633 analyzed patients. Patients in the postoperative CEA level > 5 ng/ml group had a significantly higher recurrence rate (75.7% versus 50.0%,p < 0.01) and shorter time until recurrence (4.4 versus 36.9 months,p < 0.01) than those in the postoperative CEA level ≤ 5 ng/ml group. Multivariate analysis revealed that postoperative CEA level > 5 ng/ml was an independent predictor, with hazard ratios of 2.77 (p < 0.01) for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and 3.18 (p < 0.01) for overall survival (OS). Additionally, RFS was significantly shorter among patients in the postoperative CEA level > 5 ng/ml group who did not have normalized CEA levels following adjuvant chemotherapy than among those in the normalized CEA group. The postoperative and post-adjuvant chemotherapy CEA levels in the CEA level > 5 ng/ml group may be predictors of RFS and OS.

Effect of Co-mutation of RAS and TP53 on Postoperative ctDNA Detection and Early Recurrence after Hepatectomy for Colorectal Liver Metastases.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CLM). We hypothesized that post-hepatectomy ctDNA detection would identify patients at highest risk for early recurrence of CLM. Patients with CLM who underwent curative-intent hepatectomy with ctDNA analysis within 180 days postoperatively (1/2013 and 6/2020) were included. Tissue somatic mutations and ctDNA analyses were performed by next-generation sequencing panels. Survival analyses determined factors associated with clinical recurrence 1 year or earlier after hepatectomy. Patients with primary tumors in situ and without 1-year follow-up were excluded. Median follow-up was 28.3 months. Of 105 patients, 32 (30%) were ctDNA positive (ctDNA+) after curative-intent hepatectomy. Compared with ctDNA-negative patients, ctDNA+ patients had multiple CLM (84% vs 55%, p = 0.002) and co-mutated RAS/TP53 (47% vs 23%, p = 0.018). Multiple CLM (odds ration (OR), 5.43; p = 0.005) and co-mutated RAS/TP53 (OR, 3.30; p = 0.019) were independently associated with post-hepatectomy ctDNA. Although perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen levels were not prognostic, postoperative ctDNA+ (hazard ratio (HR), 2.04; p = 0.011) and extrahepatic disease (HR, 2.45, p = 0.004) were independently associated with worse recurrence-free survival. After adjusting for extrahepatic disease, preoperative chemotherapy, multiple CLM, tumor viability of 50% or greater, and co-mutated RAS/TP53, ctDNA+ within 180 days was the only independent risk factor for recurrence 1 year or earlier after hepatectomy (94% vs 49%; HR, 11.8; p = 0.003). Postoperative ctDNA detection is associated with early recurrence 1 year or earlier after curative-intent hepatectomy for CLM, and RAS/TP53 co-mutations result in a more than 3-fold increased risk for postoperative ctDNA positivity. This highlights the complementary effect of tumor tissue and circulating mutational profiling for patients with CLM.

Clinical usefulness of postoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen in colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases.

178 Background: Colorectal cancer with liver metastases (CLM) has high post operative recurrence rates, and optimizing the perioperative treatment is imperative. Post operative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can help detecting minimal residual disease in colon cancer after curative resection. Methods: The aim of this study was to identify the potential role of serum CEA after liver resection in patients with CLM. This study was conducted at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research from 2004 to 2018. Patients with CLM who underwent complete resection of primary tumors and liver metastases were enrolled in this study. We studied the associations between the perioperative CEA levels and characteristics of recurrence. Results: Recurrence was detected during the median follow-up time of 50.9 months in 343 (54.1%) of the total 633 patients analyzed. Patients with postoperative CEA (&gt;5) group had a significantly higher recurrence rate (75.7% vs 50.0%, p &lt; 0.01), with a shorter time until recurrence (4.4 months vs 36.9 months, p &lt; 0.01) than those with a postoperative CEA level (≤5) group. In multivariate analysis, a postoperative CEA level &gt;5 ng/ ml was an independent predictor, with the highest hazard ratio for both recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) (RFS: 2.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.14–3.60, p &lt;0.01, OS: 3.18, 95% CI 2.41–4.19, p &lt;0.01). In addition, there was a significantly shorter RFS in the postoperative CEA level (&gt;5) group who did not have normalized CEA levels after adjuvant chemotherapy compared to normalized CEA group (3.3 months vs 18.5 months, p = 0.008). Conclusions: The postoperative CEA and postadjuvant chemotherapy CEA level in the CEA level (&gt;5) group after surgery may be a predictor of RFS and OS.

Trajectories of Perioperative Serum Tumor Markers and Colorectal Cancer Outcomes: A Retrospective, Multicenter Longitudinal Cohort Study

BackgroundThe dynamic monitoring of perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is recommended by current colorectal cancer (CRC) guidelines, while the benefits of additional measurements of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) have remained controversial.MethodsThis retrospective longitudinal cohort included 3539 CRC patients who underwent curative resection. Distinct trajectory groups were identified by the latent class growth mixed model. Patients were grouped into subgroups jointly by CEA, CA19-9, and CA125 according to preoperative levels and longitudinal trajectories, respectively. The end points were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).FindingsThree distinct trajectory groups were characterized for serum CEA, CA19-9, and CA125: low-stable, early-rising, and later-rising. Jointly, patients were grouped into six preoperative (trajectory) joint groups. Compared with the three-low group, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with death were 1.87 (1.29-2.70), 3.82 (2.37-6.17), 1.87 (0.97-3.61), 2.81 (1.93-4.11), and 4.99 (2.80-8.86) for the CEA-high, CA19-9-high, CA125-high, two-high, and three-high group, respectively. And compared with the three-stable trajectory group, the corresponding HRs (95% CIs) were 1.59 (1.10-2.30), 1.55 (0.77-3.10), 6.25 (4.02-9.70), 4.05 (2.73-6.02), and 12.40 (5.77-26.70) for the five rising trajectory groups, respectively. Similar associations between joint groups and RFS were observed. Notably, the trajectory joint group still had prognostic significance after adjusting for preoperative levels. The CA19-9-high group (HR: 3.82, 95% CI: 2.37-6.17) was associated with higher risk of death than the two-high group (HR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.93-4.11). Likewise, for the CA125-rising trajectory group and two-rising trajectory group, the HRs (95% CIs) were 6.13 (3.75-10.00) and 3.99 (2.63-6.05) for death, and 3.08 (2.07-4.58) and 2.10 (1.52-2.90) for recurrence.InterpretationIn addition to CEA, the dynamic measurements of CA19-9 and CA125 are recommended to monitor the prognosis of CRC patients.FundingNational Natural Science Foundation of China [81973147, 82001986, 81960592, 82073569, 81660545].

Prognostic significance of the postoperative/preoperative serum CEA level ratio in patients with solitary adrenal metastasis from lung cancer.

The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the postoperative to preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level ratio (CEA ratio) in patients with lung cancer with solitary metastasis of the adrenal gland after adrenalectomy. Furthermore, the optimal CEA ratio cutoff value for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with lung cancer after adrenalectomy was determined. The medical records of patients with lung cancer with isolated adrenal metastasis who underwent adrenalectomy at the National Cancer Center Hospital East (Kashiwa, Japan) between January 2013 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to segregate patients into two groups (high and low CEA groups) and the clinical prognosis for the two groups was determined. In addition, the association between the CEA ratio and clinical factors was determined. A total of 14 patients with a median age of 68 years (range, 50-75 years) were analyzed, of which 9 (64%) were males. The optimal cutoff value for the CEA ratio to predict DFS was 0.60. The high CEA ratio group (≥0.60) displayed poorer DFS and cancer-specific survival (P=0.03 and 0.02, respectively). The CEA ratio was significantly associated with the preoperative CEA level (P=0.01) and the high CEA ratio (≥0.60) group had lower preoperative CEA levels. The study suggested that the perioperative CEA ratio may be an important emerging prognostic factor for patients with lung cancer with solitary adrenal gland metastasis. As the sample size was limited, a further study with a larger cohort is required to validate the present findings.

Association between Primary Perioperative CEA Ratio, Tumor Site, and Overall Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

There are differences in the incidence, clinical presentation, molecular pathogenesis, and outcome of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on tumor location. Emerging research suggests that the perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ratio (post-op/pre-op CEA) is a prognostic factor for CRC patients. We aimed to determine the association between CEA ratio, tumor location, and overall survival (OS) among patients with CRC. We analyzed 427 patients who underwent resection for CRC at the University of Kansas Medical Center. After excluding those without pre- or post-operative CEA data, 207 patients were classified as either high (≥0.5) or low (<0.5) ratio. Primary outcomes were as follows: (1) OS stratified by CEA ratio; (2) OS stratified by tumor location; (3) OS stratified by tumor location among those with CEA elevation > 5 ng/mL at the time of recurrence. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate survival rates. The median age was 62 years (inter-quartile range 51–71), 55% were male, 41% were smokers, 71% had left-sided tumors, the median pre-operative CEA was 3.1 ng/mL (inter-quartile range (IQR) 1.5–9.7), and 57% had a CEA ratio ≥0.5. The OS rates were 65.1% and 86.3% in patients with high versus low CEA ratios, respectively (log-rank p-value = 0.045). The OS rates were 64.4% and 77.3% in patients with right-sided vs. left-sided tumors, respectively (log-rank p-value = 0.5). Among patients with CEA levels greater than 5 at the time of recurrence, the OS rates were 42.9% and 43.4% in patients with right-sided vs. left-sided tumors, respectively (log-rank p-value = 0.7). There was a significantly higher survival among patients with low CEA ratios than among those with high CEA ratios. There was no difference in OS between left- versus right-sided tumors. Among patients with CEA elevation > 5 ng/mL at the time of recurrence, there was no difference in OS between left versus right-sided tumors. These findings warrant validation in a larger cohort as our sample size was limited.

Effect of Perioperative CEA and CA24-2 on Prognosis of Early Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) show differential prognosis after radical resection. Currently, cancer grading and surgical criteria depend heavily on imaging and anatomical diagnosis. It's essential to set up a model with reliable prognostic factors during the perioperative period to assess prognosis in PDAC patients. In this study, 103 patients diagnosed with PDAC who underwent radical resection were recruited. The predictive value of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), postoperative CA24-2 and the combination of two for overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Both pre-CEA and post-CA24-2 were found to be independent prognostic factors for OS according to multivariate analyses. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that CEA and CA24-2 as well as the combination of two were correlated with poor OS. In addition, patients with both markers elevated have worse prognosis than patients with either pre-CEA or post-CA24-2 elevated. Thus, we concluded that the combination of CEA and CA24-2 can be used as a prognostic factor for stage I and II resectable PDAC patients.

Applicability of postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen levels in determining post-liver-resection adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer hepatic metastasis.

Liver resection (LR) is the standard procedure for treating colorectal cancer (CRC) hepatic metastasis; however, LR associated with a high recurrence incidence. This study aimed to determine an optimal post-LR adjuvant chemotherapeutic strategy to improve overall long-term patient outcomes. A retrospective study of 490 patients who had undergone curative LR for CRC hepatic metastasis was performed. Patients who underwent post-LR adjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated high overall survival (OS) rates (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58, P = .002) but not high recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates (HR = 1.02, P = .885). Moreover, OS was significantly longer in patients who underwent 5-fluorouracil + leucovorin (5-FU/LV; HR = 0.63, P = .039), oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (HR = 0.45, P < .001), or irinotecan-based chemotherapy with bevacizumab (HR = 0.64, P = .040) than in those who did not. Among patients with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of <5 ng/mL at 1 month after LR, significant differences were noted only in those who underwent 5-FU/LV (HR = 0.58, P = .035) and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (HR = 0.38, P < .001). In conclusion, perioperative CEA levels are crucial in prognosis and treatment of patients with CRC hepatic metastasis after LR. Additionally, certain regimens of adjuvant chemotherapy alongside post-LR CEA levels may provide beneficial results.

Association between primary tumor site, perioperative CEA ratio, smoking status, and overall survival in patients with colorectal cancer.

e15156 Background: There are differences in the incidence, clinical presentation, molecular pathogenesis and outcome of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on tumor location. Emerging research suggests that perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ratio (post-op/pre-op CEA) is a prognostic factor for CRC patients. We aimed to determine the association between tumor location, CEA ratio, smoking status and overall survival (OS) among patients with CRC. Methods: We analysed 323 patients who underwent resection for CRC at KUMC. After excluding those without pre- or post-operative CEA data, 162 patients were classified as either high ( &gt; = 0.5) or low ( &lt; 0.5) ratio. Primary outcomes were: 1) OS stratified by tumor location; 2) OS stratified by CEA ratio; and 3) whether the association between CEA ratio and OS differed by tumor location, after adjusting for stage and smoking status. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival rates, and Cox proportional hazards models for multivariate analysis. Results: The median age was 63 years (inter-quartile range 53-72), 61% male, 43% smokers, 73% left-sided tumors, median pre-operative CEA was 3.0 (IQR 1.5-7), and 64% had CEA ratio &gt; = 0.5. The OS rates were 85.7% and 91.9% in patients with left-sided vs right-sided tumors respectively (log-rank p-value = 0.9). The OS rates were 83.5% and 91.5% in patients with high vs low CEA ratios respectively (log-rank p-value = 0.3). The effect of CEA ratio on OS was significantly different when stratified by tumor location (p-value for interaction &lt; 0.001). However, in the stratified analysis, the n was too small to permit further inferential analysis. In multivariate analysis, both tumor location (HR 0.6; p = 0.5) and CEA ratio (HR 1.5; p = 0.5) were not significantly associated with OS after adjusting for smoking status and tumor stage. Smoking was significantly associated with higher rates of death (HR 3.9; p = 0.04) when adjusted for tumor location, CEA ratio, and tumor stage. Conclusions: There was no difference in OS between left versus right-sided tumors. The association between CEA ratio and OS was significantly modified by tumor location. However, to attribute this modification to left vs right warrants validation in a larger cohort as our sample size was limited. Smoking increases mortality irrespective of right vs left sided CRC.

Association between primary tumor site, perioperative CEA ratio, and overall survival in patients with colorectal cancer.

518 Background: There are differences in the incidence, clinical presentation, molecular pathogenesis and outcome of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on the tumor location. Emerging research suggests that the perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ratio is a prognostic factor for CRC patients. We aimed to determine the association between tumor location, perioperative CEA ratio, and 5-year survival among patients with CRC. Methods: We analyzed 111 patients who underwent resection for CRC at KUMC. After excluding patients without pre- or post-operative CEA data, 62 patients for whom we could calculate a CEA ratio (post-op/pre-op CEA) were classified as either high ( ≥ 0.5) or low ( &lt; 0.5) ratio. The primary outcomes were: 1) overall survival (OS) stratified by tumor location; 2) OS stratified by CEA ratio; and 3) whether there was effect modification by tumor location, of the association between perioperative CEA ratio and OS, after adjusting for tumor stage and smoking status. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival rates, and Cox proportional hazards models for multivariate analysis. Results: The median age was 61 years, 54% male, 31% smokers, 74% left-sided tumors, median pre-operative CEA was 3.3, and 60% had CEA ratio ≥ 0.5. The OS rates were 89.1% and 81.3% in patients with left-sided versus right-sided tumors respectively (p-value = 0.4). The OS rates were 83.8% and 92.0% in patients with high versus low CEA ratios respectively (p-value = 0.3). There was effect modification by tumor location on association between CEA ratio and OS, after adjusting for smoking status and tumor stage (p-value &lt; 0.001). However, in the stratified analysis, the n was too small to permit inferential analysis. In multivariate analysis, both tumor location (HR 0.4; p = 0.3) and perioperative CEA ratio (HR 2.7; p = 0.3) were not significantly associated with OS after adjusting for smoking status and tumor stage. Conclusions: There was no difference in OS between left versus right-sided tumors. The association between perioperative CEA ratio and OS was significantly modified by tumor location. However, to attribute this modification to left versus right warrants validation in a larger cohort as our sample size was limited.

Prognostic significance of perioperative tumor marker levels in stage II/III gastric cancer.

AIMTo evaluate the prognostic significance of perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels in stage II/III gastric cancer.METHODSFrom a multi-institutional retrospective database compiled by integrating clinical data from nine institutions, data of 998 patients who underwent curative resection for stage II/III gastric cancer between 2010 and 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. The prognostic impact of the preoperative and postoperative levels and chronological changes in CEA, CA19-9 and their combination were evaluated. To test whether postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy alters the prognostic impact of perioperative CEA and CA19-9 levels, the hazard ratios for mortality were compared between patients who underwent surgery alone and patients who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.RESULTSThe prognostic impact of postoperative CEA and CA19-9 was superior to that of the preoperative levels. Multivariable analysis identified high postoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Disease-free survival rates clearly decreased in a stepwise manner in association with postoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels, and patients with high levels of both markers showed significantly poorer prognosis than other patient groups. When we analyzed perioperative changes in serum CEA and CA19-9 levels, patients with high levels before and after surgery had the worst disease-free survival rates among all patient groups. Patients with normalized CEA levels after surgery had a significantly lower disease-free survival rate than those with normal perioperative levels, whereas patients with normalized CA19-9 levels after surgery had equivalent survival to those with normal perioperative levels. The prognostic impact of high CEA levels was observably smaller in patients who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy than in patients who underwent surgery alone, whereas that of high CA19-9 was greater in patients who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. High postoperative CEA levels were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of liver, lung and bone recurrences, and high postoperative CA19-9 levels were significantly associated with increased frequencies of lymph node and liver recurrences.CONCLUSIONThe evaluation of serum CEA and CA 19-9 levels both before and after surgery provides useful information for precise risk stratification after curative gastrectomy.

134P - A retrospective analysis of the association between perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen level and prognosis in stage III colorectal cancer

Abstract Background Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is the most widespread tumour marker of colorectal cancer, however, it is not helpful to judge for recurrence of the disease because of low sensitivity and specificity. It is recommended for patients who were diagnosed with pStage III colorectal cancer to receive adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection and to measure CEA every 3 months. Moreover, It is reported that postoperative CEA level is more informative than preoperative CEA level about the impact for prognosis but the association between postoperative, post adjuvant CEA level and the prognosis is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate whether perioperative and post adjuvant CEA level was useful for estimation of the prognosis in stage III CRC. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at the Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR. A total of 567 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for stage III colon adenocarcinoma and adjuvant chemotherapy in our hospital from March 2005 to December 2013 were identified. The patients who received bevacizumab as adjuvant chemotherapy and didn’t measure CEA were excluded. Results The 3-year DFS rate in patients with normal preoperative CEA is superior to patients with high preoperative CEA (HR:1.59;95%CI:1.10-2.31, p = 0.014). There was no significant difference in the 5-year OD between the two groups (HR1.17;95%CI:0.62–2.20, p = 0.63). The 3-year DFS rate and 5-year OS rate in patients with normal postoperative CEA were superior to patients with high postoperative CEA (HR:2.18;95%CI:1.23–3.88, p = 0.0079, and HR:2.40;95%CI:1.02–5.69, p = 0.046). The 3-year DFS in patients with normal postadjuvant CEA was superior to patients with high postadjuvant CEA(HR1.79;95%CI:1.23–3.88, p = 0.022), whereas regarding the 5-year OS there was no significant difference between the two groups (HR2.10;95%CI:0.98–4.53, p = 0.057).In the multivariate analysis, the histological type and N-stage were predictive factors of OS. Conclusions High postoperative and post adjuvant CEA level may be negative prognosis factors for OS in patients who underwent curative resection for stage III CRC. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Perioperative Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Ratio Is a Prognostic Indicator in Patients With Stage II Colorectal Cancer.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether the perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) ratio could be used as a determinant for adjuvant therapy after curative surgery in stage II colorectal cancer.MethodsData for 119 patients with stage II colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery between 2010 and 2013 were collected. The perioperative CEA ratio was defined as the postoperative/preoperative serum CEA level, and the patients were grouped according to their perioperative CEA ratios: high ratio (≥0.5) and low ratio (<0.5). Overall survival rates were calculated, and their prognostic significances were analyzed.ResultsThe overall survival rates of the high and the low perioperative CEA groups were 68.2% and 86.8%, respectively (P = 0.033). In patients with normal preoperative CEA levels (<5 ng/mL), the high perioperative CEA ratio group showed a worse survival rate than the low perioperative CEA ratio group (71.7% vs. 100.0%, P = 0.007). In patients with high preoperative CEA levels (≥5 ng/mL), the high perioperative CEA ratio group showed a worse survival rate than the low perioperative CEA ratio group (33.3% vs. 75.0%, P = 0.036). In the multivariate analysis, perioperative CEA ratio (P = 0.046), age (P = 0.034), and venous invasion (P = 0.015) were independent prognostic factors for survival.ConclusionThe perioperative CEA ratio is a prognostic indicator for stage II colorectal cancer. Patients with normal preoperative serum CEA levels might also be considered for adjuvant therapy if their perioperative CEA ratios are higher than 0.5.

Perioperative Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels Predict Recurrence and Survival of Patients with Pathological T2-4 Gastric Cancer Treated with Curative Gastrectomy

Background/Aims: Do serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels serve as prognostic indicators in patients with gastric cancer (GC)? This is a question that has long been disputed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of perioperative serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 for predicting the recurrence and long-term survival after patients with pT2-4 GC undergo curative gastrectomy. Methods: This study included 251 patients with radically resected pT2-4 GC without preoperative treatment. Associations between the preoperative and postoperative serum levels of CEA or CA19-9 and postoperative long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns were evaluated. Results: Preoperative CEA >5.0 ng/mL was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival. Elevation of both preoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels showed no synergistic adverse effects on prognosis. Preoperative levels of these markers achieved superior predictive performance compared with the postoperative values. Adverse prognosis is significantly associated with persistent elevation of CEA levels before and after gastrectomy. Elevation of CEA levels, particularly at postoperative measurement, was significantly associated with hematogenous recurrence. Conclusion: Determination of perioperative CEA levels facilitated predictions of recurrence patterns and prognosis among patients with pT2-4 GC who underwent curative gastrectomy.

Carcinoembryonic antigen testing after curative liver resection for synchronous liver metastasis of colorectal cancer: a Japanese multicenter analysis.

To identify the possible roles of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) testing after liver resection for synchronous colorectal liver metastasis (CLM). The subjects of this retrospective study were patients who underwent complete resection of primary tumors and synchronous CLM between 1997 and 2007 at 20 institutions in Japan. We studied the associations between perioperative CEA levels and the characteristics of recurrence. Recurrence was detected during the median follow-up time of 52months in 445 (73.7%) of the total 604 patients analyzed. A postoperative CEA level >5ng/ml was an independent predictor, with the highest hazard ratio (2.25, 95% confidence interval 1.29-3.91, P=0.004). A postoperative CEA level >5ng/ml had a specificity of 86.2% and a positive predictive value of 84.2% for recurrence. Patients with a high postoperative CEA level had a significantly higher recurrence rate, with a shorter time until recurrence and a higher frequency of multiple metastatic sites than those with a low postoperative CEA level. Among the patients with recurrence, 173 (52.7%) had an elevated CEA level (>5ng/ml) when recurrence was detected. A postoperative CEA level >5ng/ml was an independent predictor of recurrence; however, CEA testing was not a reliable surveillance tool to identity recurrence after liver resection.

The Significance of Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BackgroundA raised carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) may be associated with significant pathology during the postoperative follow-up of lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of 305 patients who underwent surgical resections for primary lung adenocarcinoma at a single institution between April 2006 and February 2013.ResultsPreoperative CEA levels were significantly associated with age, smoking history, pathologic stage including pT (pathologic tumor stge), pN (pathologic nodal stage) and overall pathological stage, tumor size and differentiation, pathologically positive total lymph node, N1 and N2 lymph node, N2 nodal station (0/1/2=1.83/2.94/7.21 ng/mL, p=0.019), and 5-year disease-free survival (0.591 in group with normal preoperative CEA levels vs. 0.40 in group with high preoperative CEA levels, p=0.001). Preoperative CEA levels were significantly higher than postoperative CEA levels (p<0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Postoperative CEA level was also significantly associated with disease-free survival (p<0.001). A follow-up serum CEA value of >2.57 ng/mL was found to be the appropriate cutoff value for the prediction of cancer recurrence with sensitivity and specificity of 71.4% and 72.3%, respectively. Twenty percent of patients who had recurrence of disease had a CEA level elevated above this cutoff value prior to radiographic evidence of recurrence. Postoperative CEA, pathologic stage, differentiation, vascular invasion, and neoadjuvant therapy were identified as independent predictors of 5-year disease-free survival in a multivariate analysis.ConclusionThe follow-up CEA level can be a useful tool for detecting early recurrence undetected by postoperative imaging studies. The perioperative follow-up CEA levels may be helpful for providing personalized evaluation of lung adenocarcinoma.

Prognostic Factors for Survival after Resection of Pulmonary Metastases from Colorectal Carcinoma.

As chemotherapy has improved, the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma has reached up to 2.5 years. Many of these patients experience pulmonary metastases; however, the prognosis after pulmonary metastasectomy is not satisfying. In this study, we analyzed the prognostic factors for survival in patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy. Eighty-seven patients with colorectal carcinoma received pulmonary metastasectomy. The pathological status of the primary tumor, outcome of the pulmonary metastasectomy, disease-free interval, perioperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and history of liver metastases were assessed. The five-year survival was 42.5% after pulmonary metastasectomy. A univariate analyses revealed that the CEA level (p = 0.043) and the number of pulmonary metastases (p = 0.047) were prognostic factors for survival. The CEA level was an independent prognostic factor in a multivariate analysis (relative risk = 2.01, p = 0.037). Among cases with elevated preoperative CEA levels, those whose CEA level normalized after metastasectomy had a better prognosis compared with those whose CEA level decreased but was still high, or whose level increased after metastasectomy (median survival time of 41.8 months compared with 28.1 or 15.7 months, respectively p = 0.021). The CEA level can be a predictive marker for the prognosis in patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma.

False-positive elevations of carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with a history of resected colorectal cancer.

Routine monitoring of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels is standard in patients with resected colorectal cancer (CRC). The incidence of false-positives and the upper limits of false-positive elevations have not been previously well characterized. A search of medical records at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center identified 728 patients who underwent an R0 resection of locoregional CRC between January 2003 and December 2012 and who had an increase in CEA level above the normal range after a normal perioperative CEA level. Of these, 358 had a false-positive elevation of CEA level, 335 had a true-positive elevation indicative of recurrent CRC, and 35 had a true-positive elevation indicative of the development of a new, non-CRC malignancy. Of those with false elevations, 111 had a single isolated CEA level elevation (median highest CEA level of 5.5 ng/mL) with no further abnormal measurements, whereas 247 had elevations on 2 or more readings, with a median highest level of 6.7 ng/mL. Of these 247 patients with confirmed false-positive CEA level elevations, only 5 (2%) had measurements greater than 15 ng/mL, and no confirmed elevation greater than 35 ng/mL was a false-positive. False-positive CEA test results in the range of 5 to 15 ng/mL are common. Confirmation of CEA elevation in this range before initiating imaging studies may be appropriate. False-positive results greater than 15 ng/mL are rare, and all confirmed CEA levels greater than 35 ng/mL were associated with cancer recurrence.

False-positive elevations of carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with a history of resected colorectal cancer.

403 Background: Routine monitoring of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is standard practice in patients with a history of resected colorectal cancer. While it is known that false positive elevations of CEA can occur, the incidence of false positives and the upper limits of false positive elevations have not been previously well characterized. We evaluated these factors retrospectively in a large, single center, 10-year experience. Methods: Computerized medical records of Memorial Sloan-Kettering were searched electronically and then manually confirmed to identify patients who underwent an R0 resection of local-regional colorectal cancer between January, 2003 and December, 2012 and who had a rise in CEA above the normal range after a normal perioperative CEA. CEA elevations were regarded as false-positive if workup failed to identify the source of the CEA with at least 1 year follow up after the CEA first became abnormal. Results: 728 patients were identified who met all inclusion criteria. Of these, 358 patients (49%) were determined to have had a false-positive CEA elevation, 335 patients (46%) had a true-positive CEA elevation indicative of recurrent colorectal cancer, and 35 patients (5%) had a true positive CEA elevation indicative of development of a new, non-colorectal malignancy. Of those with false elevations, 111 had a single isolated CEA elevation (median highest CEA of 5.5ng/ml, range: 5.1-45.2ng/ml) with no further abnormal CEAs, while 247 had CEA elevations on two or more readings with median highest CEA of 6.7 (range: 5.2-34.9ng/ml). Of these 247 patients with confirmed false-positive CEA elevations, only 5 patients (2%) were above 15ng/ml and no confirmed CEA elevation over 35ng/ml was a false positive. Conclusions: False positive CEAs in the 5-15 range are relatively common. Confirmation of CEA elevation in this range prior to initiating imaging studies may be appropriate. False positive CEAs above 15 are rare. In our large data set, all CEAs above 35 were associated with actual cancer recurrence; hence CEA levels above 35 appear to be virtually diagnostic of the presence of cancer.