Prognostic values of CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4 in patients with stages I-III colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the levels of three tumor markers (TMs), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9, and CA72-4, and the prognoses of colorectal cancer patients.

METHODS

From January 2012 to December 2015, 101 patients with stages I-III colorectal cancer treated in the general surgery department of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were included in this retrospective study. The patients' blood was collected at different time points to determine their biochemical index values. The CA19-9 and CEA levels were measured using a chemiluminescence analyzer, and the CA72-4 level was determined using a semi-automatic enzyme-free analyzer. The relationship between the tumor marker expressions and the prognoses of patients with colorectal cancer was analyzed.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of the combined quantification of the three TMs was higher than quantifying just one of them, but the specificity was decreased. Those three TM levels were stable at two years after the operations, and they were significantly lower than they were before the operations (P < 0.05). A Kaplan Meier survival curve analysis showed that, compared with the patients with normal levels, the patients with increased levels of the three TMs had significantly shorter overall survival times and higher recurrence rates (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combined quantification of CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4 is of great significance in determining the prognoses of colorectal cancer patients. It is helpful to predict the outcomes of patients with stages I-III colorectal cancer two years after their operations.