[The carcinoembryonic antigen in chronic pancreatitis]

The fasting carcinoembryonal antigen (CEA) concentrations in the serum and duodenal juice and after venous stimulation of the exocrine pancreas with the hormones CCK and secretin (Boots) were studied. Radioimmunologic test with a kit of the firm "Labimex"--PPR was used. 28 patients with clinically proved chronic pancreatitis and a control group of 27 healthy persons were examined. The fasting CEA serum concentrations in the patients with chronic pancreatitis were statistically significantly higher than those of the healthy persons--mean--16.5 ng/ml vs mean--8.2 ng/ml (p less than 0.001). In 14% of the healthy persons and 57% of of the patients with chronic pancreatitis the basic CEA concentrations were significantly increased. After stimulation with CCK and secretin the serum CEA concentration did not change substantially. The duodenal juice CEA concentrations after CCK and secretin stimulation were about 11 times higher than those in the serum--mean--113 ng/ml and mean--104 ng/ml for the control group vs mean--118 ng/ml and mean--110 ng/ml for the patients with chronic pancreatitis. No statistically significant difference between the patients with chronic pancreatitis and the control group of healthy persons was established. The results reveal the low specificity of the CEA as a "tumor marker".