Association between serum carcinoembryonic antigen and cardiometabolic risks: Implication for cardiometabolic prevention

Abstract

BackgroundSerum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a biomarker commonly used to detect colorectal cancer. CEA levels are affected by many factors, including cardiometabolic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes. Cardiometabolic diseases and cancer share a similar pathological inflammatory pathway, which correlates with an unhealthy lifestyle. Hence, establishing an adequate CEA cut-off value might be a valuable reference for developing precision healthcare programs for cardiometabolic disease prevention. This study aimed to investigate the association between cardiometabolic risks and serum CEA and the underlying factors.MethodsA community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted between March and December 2021 on the western coast of Taiwan. Lifestyle data were assessed using a structured questionnaire. The cardiometabolic biomarkers, serum CEA, urine malondialdehyde, and 1-hydroxypyrene were quantified by the central laboratory of the collaborating hospital. Chi-square and binary multivariable logistic regression implemented in R version 4.0.2 were used to identify factors defining the risk of high serum CEA levels.ResultsA total of 6,295 adult residents without cancer-related diseases completed the study. The mean age was 48.6 (SD = 16.4) years, 56% were female, 32% had metabolic syndrome, and 23% and 10% had CVDs and diabetes, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that age ≥ 65 years, male sex, alcohol consumption, smoking, infrequent use of dental floss, fewer remaining teeth, CVDs, diabetes, and oxidative stress were significantly associated with serum CEA ≥ 3 ng/mL. The discriminatory performance of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75 (0.73–0.76), showing that this model was suitable for distinguishing high CEA levels.ConclusionOur findings highlight the importance of understanding cardiometabolic diseases, unhealthy lifestyles, and oxidative stress, which contribute to high serum CEA. This study demonstrates that CEA, a well-known tumor marker, can help the early detection and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases via personalized lifestyle modification.

The Relationship Between Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Epicardial Adipose Tissue

“…8 Moreover, Chang et al has suggested a CEA level of ≥ 3 ng/mL for the early detection and prevention of CMDs through individualized lifestyle modifications. 2 As mentioned earlier, EAT and CEA both have inflammatory characteristics. 2,10 However, reports linking CEA concentration to the EAT do not exist.…”

“…2 As mentioned earlier, EAT and CEA both have inflammatory characteristics. 2,10 However, reports linking CEA concentration to the EAT do not exist. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the possible association between EAT and CEA.…”

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Inflammation plays a key role in the development and progression of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and cancer. [1][2][3] Numerous inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and lipoproteinassociated phospholipase A 2 (Lp-PLA 2 ), as well as alterations of gut microbiota, have been reported to be associated with an increased risk of CMD. 4,5 CRP is the most extensively studied marker of inflammation and is most widely used in daily clinical practice.

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“…lipids, and DNA. 2,[11][12][13][14] Furthermore, recent studies have reported CEA to be related to metabolic syndrome and visceral adiposity. 8 Moreover, Chang et al has suggested a CEA level of ≥ 3 ng/mL for the early detection and prevention of CMDs through individualized lifestyle modifications.…”