Carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with residual ovarian cancer: Clinical and pathological correlations

The level of Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in serum was estimated before the commencement of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in 130 patients with residual ovarian cancer. CEA was detected in 64% of the patients. The associated clinical and pathological features were examined. No differences were found in the distribution of patients who were CEA positive and CEA negative in relation to the features studied. However, a correlation between serum CEA levels on one hand and site of tumor, organ involved, and estimated tumor volume on the other was found among the CEA-positive patients. No direct correlation was observed between CEA levels and subsequent behavior of the disease, except for patients who showed CEA levels exceeding 20 ng/ml. In these patients, the risk of progressive disease increased from 40 to 63% after 12 months of follow-up.