Postoperative chemotherapy and follow-up program in colon cancer with high serum CEA level.

We present a patient with colon cancer who had a high serum CEA level without detectable liver metastases at surgery. He underwent hepatic arterial infusional chemotherapy for suspicious liver metastasis concomitant with colon resection at the initial operation. He was followed closely by monitoring the serum CEA levels as well as abdominal US and CT. Five months after the first operation, a small but apparent metastatic lesion was detected in the liver, for which curative resection was performed. The importance of postoperative management with chemotherapy for occult metastases in the liver and close follow-up by CEA monitoring is discussed for such a patient.