CEA is called carcinoembryonic antigen, and its normal level cannot exclude gastrointestinal malignant tumor, and gastroenteroscopy is still needed for patients suspected of having gastrointestinal malignant tumor.
Elevated CEA is commonly found in gastrointestinal malignant tumors, but not all patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors will have elevated CEA, thus normal CEA level cannot exclude the possibility of gastrointestinal malignant tumors, especially in the early stage of the tumor, CEA is often not elevated, and thus lack of early diagnostic value, and many patients who have elevated CEA are often in the stage of tumor progression.
If patients have high risk factors or symptoms of gastrointestinal tumors, such as family history of malignant tumors, history of Helicobacter pylori infection, history of chronic inflammation or ulcers in gastrointestinal tract, history of long-term irregular abdominal pain and bloating, etc., it is still recommended to undergo gastroenteroscopy even if the CEA level is normal, in order to detect pre-cancerous lesions at an early stage as far as possible, and then intervene as early as possible to avoid the disease from progressing.