Carcinoembryonic antigen and CA19-9: implications of quantitative marker measurement in tissues for prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Measurement of tumor markers in serum of colorectal cancer patients after surgery is a sensitive method in early diagnosis of systemic spread of tumor cells. Moreover, prognostic association of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) content in serum at the time of surgery is well known. However, fairly unclear is whether quantitative content of CEA and CA19-9 in cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa of colorectal cancer patients is correlated to prognosis. Concentrations of CEA and CA]9-9 were analyzed simultaneously in serum, cancer tissue, and normal colonic mucosa of 41 colorectal cancer patients operated for cure. Follow-up data were available for up to 82 months (median, 47 months) after surgery. During the follow-up period, 20 patients had a tumor recurrence, and all these patients died of metastatic disease. Using the median concentration of CEA and CA19-9 in tissues as a cut-off, no difference in overall and disease-free survival was observed between patients with elevated or normal CEA or CA19-9 concentrations in tumor tissue. However, in adjacent histologically normal mucosa, elevated CEA content was associated with significantly shorter overall survival (P = .0385) and disease-free survival (P = .0141) but not CA19-9 content. Despite the unknown biological function of tumor markers in malignant disease, measurement of tumor-associated antigens in colorectal tissues can become an interesting prognostic marker.     

CA 19-9, CA 125 and CEA in the endometrial mucosa during the menstrual cycle, in atypical hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma

CA 19-9, CA 125 and CEA were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in 58 tissue samples of normal mucosa, 21 samples of atypical hyperplasia and 74 samples of endometrial carcinoma. CA 19-9 was mainly detected in the mid phase of secretion (8/11). CA 125 in the mid (6/11) and in the late phase (8/9). As opposed to CEA, both tumor markers are secretion products of the normal endometrium and are not expressed in the endometrial glands during the proliferation phase. CA 125 expression does not correlate with the degrees of differentiation or malignancy. The percentage of CA 19-9 positive cases rises with increasing differentiation. In atypical hyperplasia, however, this percentage is as small as in undifferentiated carcinoma. 93% of the endometrial carcinomas were CA 19-9, 65% CA 125 and 58% CEA positive.     

Applicative Value of Serum CA19-9, CEA,CA125 and CA242 in Diagnosis and Prognosis for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Treated by Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

Objective: To evaluate the application value of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125 and CA242 in diagnosis andprognosis of pancreatic cancer cases treated with concurrent chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: 52patients with pancreatic cancer, 40 with benign pancreatic diseases and 40 healthy people were selected. Theelectrochemiluminescence immunoassay method was used for detecting levels of CA19-9, CEA and CA125, anda CanAg CA242 enzyme linked immunoassay kit for assessing the level of CA242. The Kaplan-Meier methodwas used for analyzing the prognostic factors of patients with pancreatic cancer. The Cox proportional hazardmodel was applied for analyzing the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidential interval (CI) for survival timeof patients with pancreatic cancer. Results: The levels of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125 and CA242 in patientswith pancreatic cancer were significantly higher than those in patients with benign pancreatic diseases andhealthy people (P<0.001). The sensitivity of CA19-9 was the highest among these, followed by CA242, CA125and CEA. The specificity of CA242 is the highest, followed by CA125, CEA and CA19-9. The sensitivity andspecificity of joint detection of serum CA19-9, CEA, CA125and CA242 were 90.4% and 93.8%, obviouslyhigher than single detection of those markers in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The median survival time of52 patients with pancreatic cancer was 10 months (95% CI7.389~12.611).. Patients with the increasing level ofserum CA19-9, CEA, CA125, CA242 had shorter survival times (P=0.047. 0.043, 0.0041, 0.029). COX regressionanalysis showed that CA19-9 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer (P=0.001,95%CI 2.591~38.243). Conclusions: The detection of serum tumor markers (CA19.9, CEA, CA125 and CA242)is conducive to the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and joint detection of tumor markers helps improve thediagnostic efficiency. Moreover, CA19-9 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer.     

Prognostic study of preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 in colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: Carcinoembrionic Antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) are the most frequently used tumor markers in the clinical setting of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: Serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 were examined in 586 patients with colorectal cancer. Cut-off levels were calculated at reference value:<2.5 ng/mL (group A) versus >2.5 ng/mL (group B) for CEA and, <37 U/mL (group A) versus >37 U/mL (group B) for CA 19-9. RESULTS: According to tumor progression, each marker tended to show a higher level. Group A showed a significantly better prognosis than group B in both CEA and CA 19-9. In Dukes classification A, B and C, only CEA showed a better prognosis in group A than group B. At the time of recurrence compared to the pre-operative point, the CEA and CA 19-9 levels were significantly higher in both group A and B, however. In relation to the necessity of adjuvant chemotherapy (5-FU containing regimen) in Dukes A, the cases without adjuvant chemotherapy in group B of CEA showed a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: The measurement of preoperative serum CEA and CA 19-9 is useful for prognostic prediction in colorectal cancer. Cut-off levels calculated at the reference value reflect the prognosis in this study. Especially, preoperative CEA reveals a potential high risk group in Dukes A which should be carefully treated by adjuvant chemotherapy to avoid recurrence.     

Tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen, CA 50, and CA 19-9 and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Pretreatment screening

Pretreatment serum levels of the tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 50, and CA 19-9 in 95 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and 32 age-matched controls were compared. Thirty-nine percent of the cancer patients showed elevated (greater than or equal to 5 micrograms/l) serum CEA levels, 41% had elevated (greater than or equal to 17 U/ml) CA 50 levels, and 13% showed elevated (greater than or equal to 37 U/ml) CA 19-9 levels. The tumor markers showed a considerable degree of complementarity, and combined tumor marker analysis increased the sensitivity to 59%. Raised CEA levels were found significantly more frequently in intrathoracically localized tumors than in cervical cancers. Patients surviving less than 6 months showed a higher rate of elevated CEA assays than those who survived 6 to 18 months. No certain correlation was established between tumor marker elevation and tumor stage or tumor differentiation.     

血清CA125、CA19-9、CEA的检测在大肠癌诊断及治疗中的意义

目的探讨血清CA125、CA199、CEA的检测在大肠癌诊断及治疗中的价值。方法82例大肠癌病人均于2004年6月～2005年6月收治并手术,同时选取41例正常人做为对照组。以蛋白芯片法测定两组血清中CA125、CA199、CEA含量。结果三项指标定量检测大肠癌组明显高于对照组。其阳性率与部位、大体类型、组织类型无明显相关。三项指标阳性率Duke'sC+D期明显高于Duke'sA+B期。CA125、CA199、CEA三项指标敏感度分别为34.1%、34.1%、30.5%,特异度均为97.6%,三项联检敏感度为58.5%,特异度为92.7%,而在Duke'sC+D期,三项联检敏感度为86.8%,特异度为92.7%。结论血清CA125、CA199、CEA的检测对于大肠癌的诊断价值较低,但三项联检在Duke'sC、D期大肠癌病人诊断价值较高,有助于判断大肠癌病理分期并指导手术范围。     

多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片中CA19-9表达水平升高对恶性肿瘤的诊断价值

目的探讨多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片中糖链抗原CA19-9水平升高的临床诊断意义。方法收集可供分析的25 076例多肿瘤蛋白芯片检测结果,分析CA19-9水平在各人群、各肿瘤组织中升高情况。结果恶性肿瘤患者CA19-9水平升高发生率明显高于良性病变患者及正常体检者,且胰腺癌发生率最高(62.04%),其次为肝癌(44.25%)、胃癌(26.40%)、结直肠癌(26.32%);CA19-9伴随升高的指标以CA242最为常见,其次为CEA、CA125;CA19-9/CA242、CA19-9/CEA伴随升高最常见于结直肠癌(90.00%,86.45%);CA19-9/CA125伴随升高最常见于肺癌(71.66%)。CA19-9+CA242+CA125联合升高最常见于胰腺癌(54.91%);CA19-9+CA242+CEA联合升高最常见于结直肠癌(81.61%);CA19-9+AFP+CA125联合升高最常见于肝癌(32.14%);CA19-9+CEA+CA125联合升高最常见于肺癌(55.56%)。结论 CA19-9在恶性肿瘤中广泛表达,但并非恶性肿瘤的特异性指标。CA19-9单项指标升高对消化系统肿瘤具有较高的诊断价值,尤其对胰腺癌,而CA19-9伴随CA125、CA19-9、CA242水平升高,有助于提高各肿瘤诊断阳性率,降低误诊率。     

Normal bronchial mucus contains high levels of cancer-associated antigens, CA125, CA19-9, and carcinoembryonic antigen

The presence of cancer-associated antigens CA125, CA19-9, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in apparently normal respiratory system was demonstrated histochemically and immunochemically. Epithelial cells lining central airways (trachea, bronchi, and bronchioli) and respiratory glands were specifically stained by antibodies recognizing CA125, CA19-9, and CEA. Most, if not all, bronchial mucus obtained from patients without pulmonary diseases during general anesthesia contained remarkably high levels of CA125, CA19-9, and CEA ranging from 190 to 41,000 U/ml (594-4803 U/mg protein), 210 to 95,000 U/ml (294-197,917 U/mg protein), and 6 to 940 ng/ml (14-209 ng/mg protein), respectively, whereas serum antigen levels were normal in all cases examined. These results suggest that CA125, CA19-9, and CEA are synthesized and secreted by normal epithelial cells of central airways and/or respiratory glands and that these substances are not specific indicators of abnormal cellular activity.     

CEA and CA 19-9 are Still Valuable Markers for the Prognosis of Colorectal and Gastric Cancer Patients

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive effect of preoperative CEA and CA 19-9levels on the prognosis of colorectal and gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: CEA and CA 19-9 wereevaluated preoperatively in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (n=116) and gastric cancer (n=49).Patients with CEA levels <5 ng/mL were classified as CEA Group 1, 5-30 ng/mL as CEA Group 2 and >30 ng/mL were classified as CEA Group 3. Similarly the patients with a CA 19-9 level <35 U/mL were classified as CA19-9 Group 1, with 35-100 U/mL as Group 2 and with >100 U/mL as Group and 3. TNM stages and histologicgrades were noted according to histopathological reports. Patients with a TNM grade 0 or 1 were classified asGroup A, TNM grade 2 patients constituted Group B and TNM grade 3 and 4 patients constituted Group C.Demographic characteristics, tumor locations and blood types of the patients were all recorded and these datawere compared with the preoperative CEA and CA19-9 values. Results: A significant correlation between CA19-9 levels (>100 U/mL) and TNM stage (in advanced stages) was determined. We also determined a significantcorrelation between TNM stages and positive vlaues for both CEA and CA 19-9 in colorectal and gastric cancerpatients. In comparison between CEA and CA 19-9 levels and age, gender, tumor location, ABO blood group,and tumor histologic grade, no significant correlation was found. Conclusions: Positive levels of both CEA andCA 19-9 can be considered to indicate an advanced stage in colorectal and gastric cancer patients.     

CA125联合 CA19－9、CEA、CA72－4检测在上皮性卵巢癌诊断中的意义

目的：阐明联合检测糖类抗原（CA125、CA19－9、CA72－4）与癌胚抗原（CEA）在上皮性卵巢癌中的诊断意义。方法：对81例上皮性卵巢癌患者,81例良性卵巢肿瘤患者以及作为对照的80例健康体检者血清中的 CA125、CA19－9、CA72－4与 CEA 进行检测。采用 ROC 曲线及 AUC、Logistic 回归分析评估上述血清标记物对上皮性卵巢癌的诊断意义。结果：卵巢癌患者血清肿瘤标记物 CA125、CA19－9、CA72－4的水平与阳性率明显高于良性卵巢肿瘤以及对照组健康体检者（P ＜0．05）。ROC 曲线显示 CA125、CA19－9、CEA 与CA72－4曲线下面积分别为0．904±0．025、0．670±0．042、0．497±0．046 and 0．821±0．033。联合检测上述肿瘤标记物显示最高的敏感性（91．4％）与较好的特异性（83．9％）。与其他单一肿瘤标记物相比,CA125显示最高的敏感性与较好的特异性。结论：联合检测 CA125、CA19－9、CEA 与 CA72－4可以提高上皮性卵巢癌早期诊断的敏感性与准确性。     

Comparison of a new tumour marker CA 242 with CA 19-9, CA 50 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in digestive tract diseases

The levels of CA 242, a new tumour marker of carbohydrate nature, were measured in sera of 185 patients with malignancies of the digestive tract and of 123 patients with benign digestive tract diseases. High percentages of elevated CA 242 levels (greater than 20 U ml-1) were recorded in patients with pancreatic and biliary cancers (68%). The sensitivity was somewhat lower than that of CA 19-9 (76%) and CA 50 (73%). On the other hand, in benign pancreatic and biliary tract diseases the CA 242 level was less frequently elevated than the CA 19-9 and CA 50 levels. The serum CA 242 concentration was increased in 55% of patients with colorectal cancer. CA 242 detected more Dukes A-B carcinomas (47%) than CEA (32%), whereas CEA was more often elevated (71% vs 59%) in Dukes C-D carcinomas. CA 242 was slightly elevated (ad 41 U ml-1) in 10% of patients with benign colorectal diseases. CA 50 and CA 19-9 had lower sensitivities than CA 242 using the recommended cut-off values. When cut-off levels based on relevant benign colorectal diseases were used, the sensitivities of these markers were similar and somewhat higher than that of CEA. Less than half of patients with gastric cancer (44%) had an elevated CA 242 serum level. CA 242 is a promising new tumour marker, that may be of additional value in the diagnosis of pancreatic and biliary, as well as colorectal cancer, and may be useful in monitoring cancer patients after radical surgery.     

炎性介质ＣＲＰ和ＳＡＡ与肿瘤标记物ＣＥＡ、ＣＡ１９-９和ＣＡ７２-４术前联合评估结直肠癌

目的：探讨运用炎性介质Ｃ反应蛋白（ＣＲＰ）、血清淀粉样蛋白Ａ（ＳＡＡ）与肿瘤标记物ＣＥＡ、ＣＡ１９-９、ＣＡ７２-４术前联合评估结直肠肿瘤分期的价值。方法：纳入１３０例结直肠癌患者,于术前３天测定血清ＣＥＡ、ＣＡ１９-９、ＣＡ７２-４、ＣＲＰ和ＳＡＡ的水平,并与术后病理分期进行比较。结果：术前ＳＡＡ与ＣＲＰ、ＣＥＡ有相关性,相关系数分别为ｒ＝０.６４７（Ｐ＝０.０００）和ｒ＝０.２９５（Ｐ＝０.００１）;ＣＲＰ（Ｐ＝０.０２１）、ＳＡＡ（Ｐ＝０.０３６）、ＣＡ１９-９（Ｐ＝０.０１７）在不同的ＴＮＭ分期之间差异有统计学意义;建立ＣＲＰ、ＳＡＡ和ＣＡ１９. ９诊断Ⅱ ～Ⅳ期结直肠癌的ＲＯＣ曲线,ＳＡＡ的曲线下面积（ＡＵＣ）为０.６７４（Ｐ＝０００５）,ＣＡ１９.９的ＡＵＣ为０.６６４（Ｐ＝０００８）,ＣＲＰ的ＡＵＣ没有统计学意义;以血清ＳＡＡ值≥２.６６５ｍｇ／Ｌ为阳性,或ＣＡ１９-９值≥８.７０５Ｕ／ｍｌ为阳性联合诊断Ⅱ ～Ⅳ期结直肠癌的准确度为７５.６％,敏感度为８８.３％,特异度为３４.５％。结论：炎性介质和肿瘤标记物具有相关性,联合检测ＳＡＡ和ＣＡ１９-９筛选Ⅱ ～Ⅳ期结直肠癌患者具有较高价值。     

联合检测CA125 CA199和CEA对卵巢癌诊断价值的Meta分析

  目的  评价联合检测血清CA125、CA199、CEA在卵巢癌诊断中的价值。  方法  计算机检索Pubmed、CBMdisc、CNKI、维普等数据库, 收集关于卵巢癌诊断中联合检测CA125、CA199、CEA的文献。采用Meta-DiSc 14.0、Stata10.0进行Meta分析。  结果  按照统一的纳入标准和排除标准获得12篇文献。结果显示在卵巢癌诊断中, 联合检测CA 125、CA199、CEA的灵敏度(SE)、特异度(SP)、诊断比值比(DOR)、SROC曲线下面积(AUC)、Q指数分别为0.90(0.88~0.93)、0.83(0.80~0.86)、39.75(22.58~69.97)、0.953、0.895。单独检测CA125的SE、SP、DOR、AUC、Q指数分别为0.73(0.69~0.77)、0.88(0.86~0.91)、17.45(9.95~30.48)、0.804、0.739。两种检测方式的诊断效能比较差异有统计学意义(Z=4.859, P < 0.05)。  结论  卵巢癌的临床辅助诊断中, 与单独检测CA125比较, 联合检测CA125、CA199、CEA的判别能力较强、准确率较高, 可提高诊断效能。      

Application of Joint Detection of AFP,CA19-9, CA125 and CEA in Identification and Diagnosis of Cholangiocarcinoma

Objective: To explore the application of joint detection of serum AFP, CA19-9, CA125 and CEA in identificationand diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CC). Materials and Methods: The levels of serum AFP, CA19-9, CA125and CEA of both 30 patients with CC and 30 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were assessed.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic effects of single and jointdetection of those 4 kinds of tumor markers for CC. Results: The levels of serum CA19-9, CA125 and CEAin CC patients were higher than that in HCC patients,whereas that of serum AFP was significantly lower s.The area under ROC curve of single detection of serum AFP, CA19-9, CA125 and CEA were 0.05, 0.86, 0.84and 0.83, with the optimal cutoff values of 15.4 ng/ml, 125.1 U/ml, 95.7 U/ml and 25.9 ng/ml, correspondingly,and the percentage correct single diagnosis was <79%. With joint detection, the diagnostic effect of combinedAFP, CA19-9, CA125 and CEA was the highest, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.94 (95%CI 0.88~0.99).Conclusions: Single detection of serum CA19-9, CA125 and EA is not meaningful. The sensitivity, specificity,the rate of correct diagnosis and the area under ROC curve of joint detection of AFP, CA19-9, CA125 and CEAare highest, indicating that the joint detection of these 4 tumor markers is of great importance in the diagnosisof CC.     

CA 19-9 As a Marker in Addition to CEA to Monitor Colorectal Cancer

BackgroundCarcinoembryonic antigen is the commonly used tumor marker in patients with colorectal cancer, and CA 19-9 might be an additional marker. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether CA 19-9 levels can be used to monitor the disease process in patients with colorectal cancer who had no elevated CEA levels. The secondary aim was to determine if preoperative increased levels of CEA and CA 19-9 were associated with mortality.Materials and MethodsTwo sets of data from patients with histologically confirmed colorectal cancer, were included in a single-center study. First, patients with a minimum of 3 serial measurements of CA 19-9 and CEA tumor markers were related to the clinical course of their disease. Second, patients with preoperative levels of CEA and CA 19-9 were related to survival.ResultsIn patients with colorectal cancer and 3 serial measurements of tumor markers, 7.3% had only increased CA 19-9 levels without increased CEA levels, and 55.4% of the patients had an increase of CA 19-9 and CEA levels. In the patients with available preoperative markers, patients with only an increase of CA 19-9 had a significantly decreased 5-year survival compared with patients with an increase of only CEA (P = .013).ConclusionCA 19-9 can be used as additional marker to follow the disease process in patients with colorectal cancer without an increase in CEA level. Patients with preoperative increased CA 19-9 level had a poorer 5-year survival than patients with preoperative increased CEA levels.     

胃癌患者血清CA72-4、CEA及CA19-9水平及其与临床病理特征的相关性

目的:探讨血清CA72-4、CEA及CA19-9水平与胃癌患者病理特征的相关性。方法:选择2011年6月-2013年3月收治的86例胃癌患者,56例胃良性肿瘤患者,60例普通胃病患者,比较三组患者CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA水平;CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA单项检测及联合检测胃癌患者的阳性率;CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA水平与胃癌病理特征的关系。结果:胃癌组患者血清CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA水平均高于胃良性肿瘤组患者（P＜0.05),胃癌良性组患者均高于对照组（P＜0.05);三种胃癌肿瘤标志物中CA72-4诊断胃癌的阳性率最高,肿瘤3项标志物的阳性检测率要显著高于单项CA72-4、CA19-9、CEA的阳性检出率（P＜0.05）;肿瘤越大、TNM分期越高,CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA水平越高。结论:采用CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA联合检测是诊断胃癌比较理想的组合。CA72-4、CA19-9和CEA水平的变化可以反应胃癌患者的病理特征。     

Comparison of CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in the serum of patients with colorectal diseases

The serum levels of CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined in 37 patients with benign colorectal diseases and in 111 patients with newly discovered colorectal carcinomas or clinically verified relapses. In cancer patients, the CA 19-9 level ranged from normal (0-37 U ml-1) to 77,500 U ml-1 whereas all samples but one from patients with benign colorectal diseases had a normal value. CA 19-9 was increased in 46% and 45% of patients with an advanced (Dukes C or D) carcinoma or a verified recidive, respectively. Only one out of 26 patients (4%) with a localized (Dukes A or B) carcinoma displayed an elevated CA 19-9 level (greater than 37 U ml-1). No clear correlation was found between the CA 19-9 and CEA levels. The sensitivity of the CA 19-9 test (36%) was poorer than that of the CEA assay (69%), but the new test was markedly more specific (97% vs 70%) than the CEA assay.     

大肠癌术后腹腔引流液中CEA、CA125和CA19-9的水平及其临床意义

目的 探讨大肠癌术后腹腔引流液中癌胚抗原（CEA）、糖类抗原125（CA125）和糖类抗原19-9（CA19-9）的水平及其与临床分期和腹腔微转移的关系。方法 收集经手术治疗的86例大肠癌患者（大肠癌组）和30例肠道良性疾病患者（对照组）术后第1天的腹腔引流液,检测腹腔引流液中CEA、CA125和CA19-9的水平,并分析其与大肠癌临床病理特征的关系。结果 大肠癌组腹腔引流液的CEA水平高于对照组（P＜0.05）,CA125和CA19-9水平两组差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;腹腔引流液中CA125和CA19 9水平与大肠癌临床病理特征无关（P＞0.05）,而CEA水平与淋巴结转移、浸润深度和临床分期有关。结论 大肠癌术后腹腔引流液CEA检测可用于预测临床分期、腹腔微转移并判断预后。     

大肠癌血清CEA,CA19-9和CA242联合检测及其临床意义

目的评价CEA，CA19-9及CA242联合检测对大肠癌患者的临床诊断价值。方法应用酶联免疫法对150例术前大肠癌患者及其中70例术后患者和200名健康人血清CEA，CA19-9及CA242含量进行测定。结果大肠癌患者血清3项标志物含量明显高于健康人（均P〈0．01）；单项和联合检测的阳性率及特异性总体比较差异均有统计学意义（均P〈0．01）；其中CEA、CA242检测的阳性率显著高于CA19-9；CEA＋CA242与3项联合检测的阳性率均显著高于单项或其他两项联合检测的阳性率；CEA特异性高于CA242；3项联合检测的特异性明显低于单项检测。3个年龄段大肠癌患者CEA血清水平差异显著，年龄越大CEA水平越高（P〈0．05）。在Dukes分期中，3项标志物含量及检测的阳性率依次增高（P〈0．05～0．01）。淋巴结转移患者的3项标志物含量及CA19-9，CA242的阳性率均高于无淋巴结转移的患者。3项标志物含量随肿瘤侵袭程度的增加显著增高，但在组织病理分类和肿瘤大体形态中均差异无统计学意义。Dukes A＋B期大肠癌术后3项标志物含量显著降低（P〈0．01），而C＋D期改变不明显。结论3项标志物的检测有助于大肠癌的临床辅助诊断，联合检测可以提高诊断的阳性率；3项标志物检测对大肠癌临床分期、淋巴结转移及肿瘤侵犯程度评估，尤其CA19-9和CA242比用于术前诊断更有意义，对指导临床医师合理手术有一定的帮助；术后检测有助于观察疗效，评价治疗效果。     

CEA,CA 19-9 and CA 72-4 improve the diagnostic accuracy in gastrointestinal cancers

BACKGROUND: CEA, CA 19-9, CA 242 and CA 72-4 are commonly used tumour markers for gastrointestinal malignancies. The advantage of the concomitant use of these markers is under debate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum concentrations of the markers were measured at the time of diagnosis in 161 patients with benign and 125 with malignant gastrointestinal diseases. Concomitant use of the markers was evaluated in a logistic regression model. RESULTS: CA 19-9, CA 242 or CA 72-4 showed similar sensitivity of 44% for gastric cancer, whereas CEA was elevated in 25% of the cases. In patients with colorectal cancer, CEA was most frequently elevated (54%), followed by CA 242 (46%), CA 19-9 (36%) and CA 72-4 (25%). High CA 19-9 and CA 242 serum levels were frequent in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (86% and 68%, respectively) and pancreatic cancer (80% and 63%, respectively). In the benign disease group, serum CA 19-9 was most frequently elevated, i.e. in 24%, 25% and 38% of patients with pancreatic, biliary and liver disorders, respectively. The overall accuracy of CEA, CA 19-9, CA 242 and CA 72-4 was 66%, 71%, 71% and 66%, respectively (p > 0.18). When combined in a logistic regression model, CA 72-4, CA 19-9 and CEA provided independent diagnostic information, whereas CA 242 contributed with independent diagnostic information only on excluding CA 19-9. The probability of cancer for each patient, calculated with the model, was applied as a diagnostic test and was compared with the single markers by ROC-curve analysis. The AUC value of the probability index was significantly higher than the values of the different tumour markers. CONCLUSION: An algorithm based on the combination of CEA, CA 19-9 and CA 72-4 improved the diagnostic accuracy in gastrointestinal tract malignancies compared with these markers alone.