Heyenga H, Morr H
Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1982 May 28;107(21):818-21. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1070025.
Of 30 unselected patients with pleural effusion of unknown cause 17 were subsequently found to have malignant disease of the pleura. In 11 of the 17 patients the concentration of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the pleural effusion was elevated to 4-60 ng/ml. In all 13 patients with pleural effusion of non-malignant cause the CEA concentration was normal (0-2 ng/ml). While the specificity of CEA antigen was 100% in the diagnosis of malignant pleural disease, its sensitivity was only about 65%. Since low CEA values in pleural effusion thus cannot exclude malignant disease with certainty, histological assessment of the pleural disease should be practised in every case where tumour is suspected, if necessary via thoracoscopy or thoracotomy.
在30例未经挑选的不明原因胸腔积液患者中，有17例随后被发现患有胸膜恶性疾病。在这17例患者中，有11例胸腔积液中癌胚抗原（CEA）浓度升高至4 - 60 ng/ml。在所有13例非恶性原因胸腔积液患者中，CEA浓度均正常（0 - 2 ng/ml）。虽然CEA抗原在诊断恶性胸膜疾病中的特异性为100%，但其敏感性仅约为65%。因此，胸腔积液中CEA值低并不能确定排除恶性疾病，在怀疑有肿瘤的每一例病例中，如有必要应通过胸腔镜检查或开胸手术进行胸膜疾病的组织学评估。
