[Immunohistological studies for demonstration of carcinoembryonic antigen in benign breast lesions]

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was studied in paraffin sections of 114 benign breast lesions and in 65 tumor-bearing breasts using the indirect immune peroxidase technique. CEA was observed in 21% of the cases studied. In mastopathies without carcinoma it was found in 64%. The results obtained in the different forms of benign lesions suggest a rising CEA positivity with a growing severity of the mastopathies. The observed higher positivity of tissue CEA can be taken as an expression of a higher cellular proliferative activity in mastopathies as compared to fibroadenomas. No statistically significant differences were seen in mastopathies associated with breast carcinomas as compared to mastopathies without neoplasia.