Urinary carcinoembryonic like antigen levels in patients with urinary tract reconstruction using bowels

Urine CEA levels of sixty six cystectomy patients with urinary tract reconstruction using the small or large bowel was evaluated. Most of them had abnormally high CEA levels regardless of bladder tumor recurrence. Ileal conduit cases showed higher CEA levels than those of colocystoplasty cases. We think this is probably due to difference of mucosal surface areas rather than of original location of the resected specimens, for the small bowel contains much wider mucosal surface in a length unit.