Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA): Its role as a monitor of radiation therapy for colorectal cancer

✍ Scribed by Paul H. Sugarbaker; William D. Bloomer; Ellen D. Corbett; John T. Chaffey

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 217 KB
• Volume: 42
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197809)42:3+<1434::aid-cncr2820420809>3.0.co;2-p

✦ Synopsis

Serial CEA radioimmunoassays have been performed on patients receiving radiation therapy preoperatively or as treatment of recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. Pretreatment circulating CEA titers which were elevated showed a significant decrease with accumulating doses of irradiation, indicating that the bulk of CEA-producing tumor was within the radiation therapy portal. The decrease of circulating CEA with preoperative radiation therapy was short-lived and suggested that surgical resection should be performed within 8 weeks of irradiation. Serial CEA titers are useful as an adjunct to other clinical, laboratory and radiologic data in formulating patient management decisions.