CEA levels of draining venous blood and draining-peripheral CEA gradient in colorectal cancer patients: correlation with postoperative survival

Correlation between preoperative CEA levels in draining venous blood (d CEA) and draining-peripheral (d-p) CEA gradient, and postoperative survival of 94 patients with colorectal cancer patients was examined. The positive rates of d CEA and d-p CEA gradient greater than 5 ng/ml (55.9% and 37.2%) in 59 alive patients were significantly (p less than 0.05) lower than those (77.1% and 57.1%) in 35 patients died of cancer recurrence within 4 years. Survival curve of the patients with positive d CEA and d-p CEA gradient were significantly (p less than 0.01) lower than those of the patients with negative d CEA and d-p CEA gradient. Survival curve of the patients with d-p CEA gradient greater than 10 ng/ml was significantly (p less than 0.001) lower than that of the gradient less than 10 ng/ml, and 4-year survival rates were 37.5% in the former patients and 68.3% in the latter patients. These results suggest that d CEA and d-p CEA gradient may be used as prognostic indicators of colorectal cancer patients. Clinically, the patients with positive d-p CEA gradient greater than 10 ng/ml are necessary to be treated as patients having very poor prognosis.