Carcinoembryonic antigen in fine-needle aspirate of liver: a diagnostic adjunct to cytology.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was measured in 50 consecutive fine-needle aspirates of liver to determine whether elevated levels could predict the presence of carcinoma in cytologically negative aspirates. There were 44 malignant and 6 benign lesions. The highest mean CEA values (591-672 ng/ml) were obtained in metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon, stomach, and pancreas; lower levels (13.5-151 ng/ml) were found in metastatic carcinoma from the breast and lung. Carcinoid, hepatoma, Hodgkin's disease, and benign liver aspirates had low (less than 5 ng/ml) CEA levels. Cytologic diagnosis of malignancy was 96% sensitive and 100% specific. Using 5 ng as a cutoff for malignancy, the overall sensitivity of CEA for detection of malignancy was 77%; for detection of adenocarcinoma alone, sensitivity was 85%. Specificity was 100%. The CEA content of fine-needle aspirates generally exceeded serum values by 10-100-fold. Although CEA content did not enhance the sensitivity of cytologic diagnosis, it may suggest metastatic carcinoma of the GI tract in patients presenting with adenocarcinoma of an unknown primary source.