SERIAL CEA DETERMINATIONS AS AN AID IN POSTOPERATIVE THERAPY MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH EARLY BREAST-CANCER

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 32  (4) , 194-199
Abstract
Serial CEA [carcino embryonic antigen] measurements as an aid in routine clinical diagnostic methods were investigated in 69 women with early breast cancer. In 14/69 cases, detection of metastatic spread on the basis of elevated pretreatment CEA levels together with clinical aspects led to early adaption of treatment. No metastatic spread was seen in 27 patients (group 1) and 28 patients had lymph node metastases (group 2). During the follow-up of 55 patients of group 1 and 2, disease progression was signaled by rising CEA values in 10/11 cases with a lead time of up to 8 mo. before a positive clinical diagnosis was possible. For another 6 patients, disease progression was expected because of consecutively increasing CEA levels. Patients of group 2 exhibited a higher frequency of relapses compared to group 1 patients. Decreasing CEA levels could be correlated with patients who were considered to have had a successful treatment by local radiotherapy and who showed no recurrence during a surveillance period along with normal CEA values. About 30% of the patients showed essentially unchanged CEA levels, mostly in the normal range.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: