[Determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in patients with tumors of the large intestine. Experience with a new radioimmunoassay (author's transl)]. / Bestimmungen von karzinoembryonalem Antigen bei Patienten mit Dickdarmtumoren. Erfahrungen mit einem eigenen Radioimmunoassay

Specimens from 93 patients with histologically confirmed tumors of the large bowel (53 single, 40 sequential determinations) were investigated by a new CEA radioimmunoassay (double antibody method, direct serum determination). Of the single and preoperative sequential determinations 37-40% were normal (below 2.5 ng/ml), one third was intermediately elevated (2.6-15 ng/ml) and 26-28% were highly pathological leveled (over 15 ng/ml). Following operation, cases with local or regionally confined tumor showed significantly more normal or normalizing CEA levels within 1-6 weeks (17/27), whereas patients with overt metastases developed more pathological or increasingly pathological levels (8/11).