[Carcinoembryonic antigen in diagnosis and monitoring of colorectal cancer].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels in the diagnosis and in monitoring colorectal cancer patients at different Dukes' stage. Carcinoembryonic antigen serum levels were measured by Elisa using Sorine Biomedica kit (normal value: 5 ng/ml) in 240 colorectal adenocarcinoma. In the diagnosis, carcinoembryonic antigen levels were measured in 109 patients, in 42% of them, the carcinoembryonic antigen levels were elevated. The carcinoembryonic antigen levels were also evaluated in 309 serum from treated colorectal cancer patients. Fifty-nine percent of the serum of the patients with recurrence disease had elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels and 41% of the serum of patients without recurrence also have elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels. Ninety percent of the serum from treated patients without recurrence have normal serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels. We concluded that the sensitivity of carcinoembryonic antigen is lower in the diagnosis as described in others studies, mostly in patients with better prognosis. In the monitoring, patients with normal serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels, probably have no recurrence of the disease. In the other hand, patients with elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels can have or not relapsed disease.