Association of perioperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen level and recurrence in low-risk stage IIA colon cancer

The purpose is to investigate prognosis according to serum CEA levels before and after surgery in patients with stage IIA colon cancer who do not show high-risk features. Among the patients diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma between April 2011 and December 2017, 462 patients were confirmed as low-risk stage IIA after surgery and enrolled. The ROC curve was used to determine cut-off values of pre- and postoperative CEA. Patients were classified into three groups using these new cut-off values. All recurrence occurred in 52 of 463 patients (11.2%). However, recurrence in group H was 15.9%, which was slightly higher than the other two groups (P = 0.04). Group L and M showed 10.5% and 12.8% overall survival, group H was higher at 21.0% (P = 0.005). Recurrence was the only risk factor in group H was significantly higher in group L (HR 2.008, 95% CI, 1.123-3.589, P = 0.019). Mortality was similar to recurrence (HR 1.975, 95% CI 1.091-3.523, P = 0.044). Among patients with low-risk stage IIA colon cancer, recurrence and mortality rates were higher when perioperative serum CEA levels were above a certain level. Therefore, high CEA level should be considered a high-risk feature and adjuvant chemotherapy should be performed.