[Our experience with the diagnostic and prognostic unreliability of pre- and postoperative CEA in human breast cancer].

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were determined in 42 breast cancer patients at I, II, III, IV stages of TNM classification. Plasmatic preoperative CEA levels was under 6 ng/ml in the 94% of patients. The postoperative CEA levels of six patients who developed metastases during the follow-up was elevated in five cases, but the elevation never preceded the clinical and radiological diagnosis of metastases.