Carcinoembryonic antigen and patterns of recurrence after curative resection of the colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The influence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) on patterns of recurrence after curative surgery in colorectal cancer was uncertain. We investigated the differences in the patterns of recurrence between the patients with elevated and normal preoperative serum CEA level.

METHODOLOGY

A retrospective study was performed in 384 patients with primary colorectal adenocarcinoma of Dukes' classification A to C.

RESULTS

In Dukes' C2 rectal cancer, hepatic and local recurrence rates were higher in the patients with >10 ng/mL of CEA than those were in the patients with < or = 5 ng/mL of CEA (p=0.028, p=0.049, respectively). Time to recurrence at lung was earlier in the patients with > 10 ng/mL of CEA than that was in the patients with < or = 5 ng/mL of CEA (p=0.0008).

CONCLUSIONS

In Dukes' C2 rectal cancer patients with elevated preoperative serum CEA level, new options for adjuvant therapy should be evaluated as 1st line of therapy and special attention should be given to recurrence in liver during the early postoperative surveillance.