Pancreatic oncofetal antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen in breast and colon carcinoma.

Pancreatic oncofetal antigen (POA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined in plasma of 195 patients with breast cancer and 90 patients with colon carcinoma. Increased levels of POA and CEA were seen in 19.0 and 25.6% of patients with breast cancer, respectively. Some but not all patients showed an increase in both markers. The incidence of abnormal concentrations of POA and CEA increased with the progress of the disease. POA appears to be a useful marker in breast cancer, especially in patients who have normal CEA levels. On the other hand, colon carcinoma patients showed increased POA concentrations considerably less frequently than CEA levels.