Sensitivity of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Level in Head and Neck, Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal Carcinoma

Article Information

Title: Sensitivity of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Level in Head and Neck, Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal Carcinoma

Authors: Madiha Hashmi, Ghulam Haider, Muhammad Danish, Razia Irhsad, Anusha Hassan, Salahuddin Khan

Journal: Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal (PAFMJ)

HEC Recognition History

Category	From	To
Y	2024-10-01	2025-12-31
Y	2023-07-01	2024-09-30
Y	2021-07-01	2022-06-30
Y	2020-07-01	2021-06-30
Y	1900-01-01	2005-06-30

Publisher: Army Medical College, Rawalpindi.

Country: Pakistan

Year: 2023

Volume: 73

Issue: 3

Language: English

DOI: 10.51253/pafmj.v73i3.6245

Keywords: MetastasisHistologyCarcinoembryonic antigenEpithelial carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: To determine the Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels among patients with epithelial carcinoma presenting at a tertiary care hospital.
Study Design: Prospective longitudinal study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medical Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi Pakistan, from May 2019 to May 2020.
Methodology: Two hundred six patients presenting with a confirmed diagnosis of epithelial carcinoma, aged more than 15 years and of either gender were enrolled in the study. The CEA levels in all the patients were measured using an ELISA kit. The CEA levels were classified as 0-3.0 ng/mL, 3.1-5.0 ng/mL, 5.1-10 ng/mL and &gt;10ng/mL.
Results: The mean age of the cancer patients was estimated as 47.30±14.10 years. Most patients had rectum carcinoma 28(13.59%), followed by CA sigmoid 25(12.14%), respectively. The median CEA level was estimated as 5.80ng/mL ranging from 0.82 to 1000 ng/mL. About 76 patients had CEA level &gt;10ng/mL (36.9%), 55 had CEA level 0-3.0 ng/mL (26.7%), 43 had CEA level 3.1-5.0ng/mL (20.9%), and 32 had CEA level 5.1-10.0ng/mL (15.5%). A statistically significant difference in proportions of CEA levels was found for histological type (p=0.001), type of cancer (p=0.001) and number of Mets (p=0.003).
Conclusion: Rectal cancer profoundly expressed carcinoembryonic antigen levels, followed by sigmoid, colon, and ovarian cancer. Moreover, there is a significant association among carcinoembryonic antigen levels, histology, type and metastasis of cancer.

Disclaimer: The following sections are produced through an intensive multi-stage analytical pipeline developed by DefinePK, utilizing advanced natural-language processing, domain-specific knowledge models, and automated cross-referencing systems. Despite the rigor and computational effort involved, the generated summary may still contain inaccuracies or incomplete interpretations. Users are strongly advised to verify all critical information against the original paper and its authoritative sources.

Research Objective

To determine the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) levels among patients with epithelial carcinoma presenting at a tertiary care hospital.

Methodology

Prospective longitudinal study conducted at the Department of Medical Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, from May 2019 to May 2020. 206 patients aged over 15 years with a confirmed diagnosis of epithelial carcinoma were enrolled. CEA levels were measured using an ELISA kit and classified into four categories: 0-3.0 ng/mL, 3.1-5.0 ng/mL, 5.1-10 ng/mL, and >10 ng/mL. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.0, with quantitative variables expressed as Mean±SD and qualitative variables as frequencies and percentages. The Chi-square test was used for inferential statistics, with a p-value of 0.05 set as the cut-off for significance.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD;
    A["Enroll 206 Epithelial Carcinoma Patients"] --> B["Measure CEA Levels using ELISA"];
    B --> C["Classify CEA Levels"];
    C --> D["Analyze Data using SPSS"];
    D --> E["Apply Chi-square Test"];
    E --> F["Identify Associations between CEA and Clinico-pathological Features"];
    F --> G["Draw Conclusions"];

Discussion

The study supports the role of CEA as a biomarker for various epithelial carcinomas, particularly rectal and sigmoid cancers. Elevated CEA levels were significantly associated with the histological type, type of cancer, and the presence and number of metastases. The findings align with previous research indicating CEA's utility in diagnosing primary and metastatic tumors, assessing prognosis, and monitoring treatment response. The study also notes that CEA levels can be influenced by inflammation and tissue injury, which can occur in non-cancerous conditions.

Key Findings

The mean age of the cancer patients was 47.30±14.10 years. Rectum carcinoma was the most prevalent (13.59%), followed by sigmoid carcinoma (12.14%). The median CEA level was 5.80 ng/mL, ranging from 0.82 to 1000 ng/mL. A significant proportion of patients (36.9%) had CEA levels >10 ng/mL. Statistically significant differences in CEA levels were found in relation to histological type (p=0.001), type of cancer (p=0.001), and number of metastases (p=0.003). Rectal cancer showed the highest expression of CEA levels, followed by sigmoid, colon, and ovarian cancer.

Conclusion

Rectal cancer profoundly expresses carcinoembryonic antigen levels, followed by sigmoid, colon, and ovarian cancer. There is a significant association among CEA levels, histology, type, and metastasis of cancer. Frequent screening of CEA levels in suspected patients is recommended to improve survival and prognosis.

Fact Check

1. Study Duration: The study was conducted from May 2019 to May 2020. (Confirmed in the text).
2. Sample Size: 206 patients were enrolled in the study. (Confirmed in the text).
3. Highest CEA Level Group: 76 patients (36.9%) had a CEA level >10 ng/mL. (Confirmed in the text).

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