Carcinoembryonic antigen in cancer of the female reproductive system. Serial plasma values correlated with disease state.

The results of plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determinations done over 600 patients with gynecologic malignancy will be presented. It would appear from this extensive survey that the likelihood of a patient having a positive value is increased with advancing stage and bulk of disease. The incidence of positive values in patients with clinical recurrence is quite impressive and presents a possible mode of follow-up for patients after standard treatment techniques have been administered for cervical cancer. Most interesting is the effect of radiation therapy or surgery on squamous cell cancer of the cervix and vulva in patients who have a positive value of the onset. Treatment of the disease by either modality appears to be associated with a precipitous drop in plasma value of CEA. Unfortunately, the presence or absence of CEA is not reliable and to date it is impossible to predict which patients with gynecologic malignancy will manifest a positive plasma value. Comments will be made concerning retro-de-differentiation and de-repression as a mechanism for the production of this antigen in patients with gynecologic cancer.