Carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]: a correlation between tissue expression and biologic behaviour in colorectal tumours

The role of carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA] as a prognosticator of precancerous colonic lesions was evaluated. CEA expression remained unaltered within colonic polyps with variable degrees of dysplasia. By contrast, CEA staining patterns correlated well with tumor differentiation. The better differentiated tumors showed apical and membranous staining, whereas less differentiated tumors showed either cytoplasmic staining or none, depending on the degree of de- differentiation. CEA expression in endoscopic biopsy material correlated well with its equivalent in permanent surgical specimens as histologic grading and staging