Relationship between preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen, disease-free survival, and overall survival in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Background and objectives. Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is important to enable early treatment decisions and improve prognosis. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker that has been associated with prognosis in CRC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between preoperative CEA and disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) in CRC. Materials and methods. This study was a retrospective cohort study conducted at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia. Medical records were obtained from 2013 to 2014. Data on age, sex, histopathology grade, CEA level, tumor location, DFS, and OS were obtained. CEA was classified as normal (< 5 ng/mL) or increased (≥ 5 ng/mL). Results. This study included 100 participants. Most participants were male (n = 55, 55%) and 50–59 years old (n = 32, 32%), with intermediate CRC (n = 72, 72%) and malignant cells located in the rectum (n = 37, 37%). Fifty-one participants had normal CEA (51%) and 49 participants had increased CEA (49%). Participants with normal CEA had a longer DFS time compared to participants with increased CEA (26.53 ± 2.86 months versus 18.29 ± 2.06 months; p = 0.026). Mean OS time was longer in participants with normal CEA levels compared to participants with increased CEA levels (58.39 ± 1.09 months versus 58.30 ± 1.03 months; p = 0.953). Conclusions. CRC patients with high preoperative CEA levels had a significantly shorter DFS time but not a significantly shorter OS time. No association found between preoperative CEA and overall survival in CRC.

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