Carcinoembryoinc antigen in cervical and vulvar cancer patients. Serum levels and disease progress.

Serial carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assays were performed on 10 patients with primary invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, 7 patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, and 5 patients with invasive squamous carcinoma of the vulva. Plasma CEA determinations were accomplished by radioimmunoassay, using a modification of Hanson's method. In 8 of the 10 patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, positive CEA values dropped to normal ranges during the course of radiotherapy, usually in the first 4 weeks of treatment. A similar decrease in patients' serum values was seen after surgical extirpation of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix by pelvic exenteration. Serum values also dropped to within normal limits in a limited number of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva after complete removal of all gross disease. Persistence of disease was associated with all gross disease. Persistence of disease was associated with chronically elevated values. A suggestion is made that patients with elevated CEA values may be followed with serial determinations to substantiate complete eradication of their disease.