IMPACT OF CEA DETERMINATIONS AS AN INDICATOR FOR ADJUVANT TREATMENT OF COLORECTAL-CANCER

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) serum level determinations play an important role in monitoring therapy and follow-up of colorectal carcinoma. However, the impact of CEA values in the adjuvant situation after surgery for colorectal carcinoma is not yet generally accepted, This review summarizes evidence for 1. CEA as a pretherapeutic indicator for patients' prognosis, 2. CEA as an indicator of tumor-biological behavior, 3. CEA as a posttherapeutic indicator of residual tumor following surgery, and 4. CEA as a parameter for disease-free survival after adjuvant treatment. From this we conclude that CEA values should be used to identify high-risk patients preoperatively, to stratify patients to adjuvant therapy protocols postoperatively and that CEA determinations might possibly serve as parameter to evaluate adjuvant therapy.