Carcinoembryonic antigen CEA is a serum tumor marker used to aid in the diagnosis of malignant tumors, as well as to monitor the condition and as an indicator of treatment efficacy.
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was first found in colon cancer and fetal intestinal tissue, hence the name carcinoembryonic antigen.
Elevated CEA is commonly found in colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and medullary thyroid cancer.
However, benign tumors, inflammatory and degenerative diseases, such as colon polyps, ulcerative colitis, pancreatitis and alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients CEA is also partially elevated and other diseases, in addition to smoking, pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, non-specific colitis and other elevated, so CEA is not a specific marker of malignant tumors, and has only auxiliary value in diagnosis.
In addition, there is a clear relationship between serum CEA level and the stage of colorectal cancer, and the more advanced the lesion, the higher the CEA level.
When patients have abnormal CEA value, they need to cooperate with doctors for further examination, so as to clarify the cause of the disease, and need to actively take relevant treatment measures to avoid delaying the condition.