Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 14, 2025
Portal Vein Injection of Colorectal Cancer Organoids to Study the Liver Metastasis Stroma
Published on: September 3, 2021
The Significance of CEA Levels Normalization After Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients With Initially Resectable
Bin Zhou1, Bo Zhang2, Yin-Chen Gu2
1Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Department of General Surgery, Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, PR China.
Normalization of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) significantly improves survival outcomes for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). This finding helps predict prognosis and surgical timing for CRLM patients undergoing NAT.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a known prognostic marker in colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).
- The impact of CEA level normalization after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) on CRLM patient outcomes post-resection is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between CEA level normalization post-NAT and patient survival after CRLM resection.
- To identify CEA normalization as a potential biomarker for predicting outcomes in CRLM patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 146 CRLM patients undergoing NAT and hepatectomy (2013-2023).
- Patients categorized into normal, normalized, and non-normalized CEA groups based on pre- and post-NAT levels (threshold: 5 ng/ml).
- Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression.
Main Results:
- Patients with normalized CEA levels showed significantly better OS and DFS compared to the non-normalized group.
- Prognosis in the normalized CEA group was comparable to the normal CEA group.
- CEA normalization post-NAT emerged as an independent predictor for OS and DFS.
Conclusions:
- CEA level normalization after NAT is a reliable biomarker for predicting postoperative survival in CRLM patients.
- This biomarker can aid in determining optimal surgical timing during NAT for initially resectable CRLM.
