CEA, CA 50 and CA 242 in patients surviving colorectal cancer without recurrent disease

To establish a baseline and intraindividual fluctuations of the tumour markers CEA, CA 50 and CA 242 in patients cured from colorectal cancer, and to test the hypothesis that serum concentrations and intraindividual fluctuations do not differ from the concentrations in cancer-free individuals.

Ninety patients with colorectal cancer, who had undergone surgery with curative intent, were still alive at least 5 years after surgery with no signs of recurrent disease. Serum levels of tumour markers CEA, CA 50 and CA 242 before and up to 2 years after surgery were analysed after the prospective study was terminated.

The pre-operative serum levels of CEA, CA 50 and CEA 242 were elevated in 36%, 16% and 20% of the patients. They were lowered after curative surgery. A small increase of CEA levels was found after the initial post-operative decrease. The intraindividual fluctuations for CA 50 and CA 242 did not exceed 15% but in 24% of the patients the serum levels of CA 50 were high and oscillating. The patients cured from Dukes >> C cancer had higher serum concentrations of CEA than patients who had a Dukes >> B cancer, which were higher than in patients who had Dukes >> A cancer. Concentrations of CA 242 were higher in patients cured from Dukes >> A than patients cured from Dukes>> B or C cancers.

During the first 2 years after curative surgery for colorectal cancer the serum levels of CEA did not differ from those levels in normal cancer-free subjects. The serum levels of CEA were related to Dukes >> staging whereas the levels of CA 242 were inversely related to Dukes >> staging.