CEA levels in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus

Serum CEA levels were determined serially by the Hansen Z gel technique on 41 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus and compared to 276 controls. Seventy percent of patients with carcinomas of the esophagus had elevated CEA levels. CEA levels greater than 10.0 ng/ml after therapy correlated with significantly shortened survival. CEA appears promising as an indicator of tumor presence in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus.