Prognostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with breast cancer

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were followed in 18 patients with a history of breast cancer to determine the prognostic value of serial determinations in predicting either the development of clinically evident metastatic disease or the progression of previously stable metastatic disease. In patients with local disease, values were in the normal range initially and tended to remain so for the duration of the study, correlating with clinical quiescence. Patients with nodal or extranodal involvement tended to have higher values, but changes could not be consistently correlated with clinical deterioration. Exceptions to these general trends were found in each group. This study suggests that the assay of CEA is of limited predictive value in an individual patient with a history of breast cancer.