Slope analysis of CA19-9 and CEA for predicting recurrence in colorectal cancer patients

CA19-9 and CEA are two serum tumor marker that are associated with gastrointestinal malignancy, including colorectal cancer. We measured the slopes of the serum CA19-9 and CEA concentrations in 264 patients with colorectal cancer. A positive CA19-9 slope was noted in 15.1% of the patients, and a positive CEA slope was noted in 19.5%. No clear-cut correlations were observed between the slopes of the two markers. The slopes of the CA19-9 and CEA correlated with both recurrence and survival. Measuring the slopes of the CA19-9 and CEA concentrations makes it possible to differentiate local from distant recurrences in patients with colorectal cancer. The combination of CA19-9 and CEA is more sensitive than either test alone for detecting recurrences. The assessment of both the serum CA19-9 and the serum CEA concentration is important in the clinical management of patients with colorectal cancer.