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Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Colon Cancer

Does it predict overall survival?

Publish date:: January 26, 2016

Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was an independent predictor of overall survival across all stages, according to a study of 137,381 patients with stage I to III colon cancer. Researchers found:

34% of patients had an elevated CEA level and 66% had a normal level.

Median survival was 70 months in those with elevated CEA and 100 months in those with normal CEA.

Patients with an elevated CEA had a 62% increase in the hazard of death vs those with normal CEA.

Citation: Becerra AZ, Probst CP, Tejani MA, et al. Evaluating the prognostic role of elevated preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen levels in colon cancer patients: Results from the National Cancer Database. [Published online ahead of print January 12, 2016]. Ann Surg Oncol.

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