Carcinoembryonic antigen in a black hospital population

Sixteen normal individuals and 100 hospital patients, all black, were tested for abnormal carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. Male and female subjects (smokers and non-smokers) were tested. The results of the tests are discussed. For normal subjects, the CEA values ranged from 0.0 ng/ml to 2.6 ng/ml. Among hospital patients with neoplastic disease, male patients with lung disease showed elevated CEA titers but their female counterparts did not. On the other hand, female patients with breast cancer, in contrast to their male counterparts, had raised values of CEA. The clinical indices for laboratory tests of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value were calculated and determined to be 71.5, 56, and 47.5 percent, respectively.