Serum carcinoembryonic antigen elevation in benign lung diseases

Abstract

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is not only used to aid the diagnosis of lung cancer, but also help monitor recurrence and determine the prognosis of lung cancer as well as evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for lung cancer. However, studies have also shown that CEA is present at low levels in the serum of patients with benign lung diseases (BLD), which will interfere with the accurate judgment of the disease. Due to difference in sample size, detection methods, cutoff values and sources of BLD, the positive rate of CEA in BLD is different with different literature. Therefore, it is necessary to define CEA levels in patients of different BLD in a large sample study. 4796 patients with BLD were included in this study. The results showed that the CEA levels of 3.1% (149/4796) patients with BLD were elevated, with three cases exceeds 20 ng/mL (0.06%, 3/4796). The results from the literature showed that BLD had a mean positive rate of 5.99% (53/885) and only two cases had CEA above 20 ng/mL. The CEA elevations mainly distributed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease and significantly correlated with age of patients (OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.94–3.73, p < 0.001). Pulmonary tuberculosis (7/1311, 0.53%) had the lowest positive rate of CEA elevations while pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (6/27, 22.22%) had the highest positive rate. The majority of patients with abnormally elevated CEA levels had multiple underlying diseases, mainly diseases of the circulatory system (42.28% [63/149]), endocrine diseases (26.85% [40/149]), and respiratory or heart failure (24.16% [36/149]. In endocrine diseases, 87.5% (35/40) of patients had diabetes. In conclusion, CEA is present at a low positive rate in the serum of patients with BLD, but few exceed 20 ng/mL. For lung disease patients, if CEA levels rise, we should carry out comprehensive analysis of types of lung diseases, age of patients, and comorbid diseases.

Detection of Gastric Cancer-Associated d-Amino Acids and Carcinoembryonic Antigen by Colorimetric and Immuno ECL Sensing Platform Based on the Catalysis of N/S-Doped Carbon Dots @ N-Rich Porous Carbon Nanoenzyme

“…The regression equation was I = 1349.5 + 675.99 log C with a correlation coefficient of 0.992 (Figure E), and the corresponding low detection limit was 0.26 pg mL –1 (S/N = 3). Compared to the previous reports on CEA (Table S3) and detection strategies based on fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and electrochemical techniques, the ECL sensor developed in this work showed enough wide linear range and low detection limit for clinical applications . In addition, it was simple to operate and suitable for the simultaneous detection of several samples.…”

“…Compared to the previous reports on CEA (Table S3) and detection strategies based on fluorescence, 43 surface-enhanced Raman scattering, 44 and electrochemical techniques, 45 the ECL sensor developed in this work showed enough wide linear range and low detection limit for clinical applications. 46 In addition, it was simple to operate and suitable for the simultaneous detection of several samples. As for the selectivity of the ECL immune biosensor, it was assessed by introducing potential interferents.…”

Increased Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Level Is Highly Associated with Low Skeletal Muscle Mass in Asymptomatic Adults: A Population-Based Study

“…Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is one of the known diseases that can be shown to have elevated CEA (or false elevation). In the previous study, the rate of high CEA level in COPD patients was 4.8% [ 4 ]. Compared to the previous study, the proportion of high CEA in this study was 4.2% in participants with severe LMM, which is similar to that in COPD patients (4.8%).…”

“…Elevation in CEA level is a well-known prognostic serologic marker for colorectal cancer (CRC) and is associated with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, lungs, prostate, ovaries, and breast [ 2 ]. Recently, multiple studies have reported its relationship with noncancerous, chronic inflammatory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, aging, and cigarette smoking [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In addition, CEA may be involved in chronic subclinical inflammation [ 3 ].…”

Preoperative Cancer Inflammation Prognostic Index as a Superior Predictor of Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Stage I–III Colorectal Cancer after Curative Surgery

“…CEA elevation was also found in non-malignant conditions such as cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, chronic renal failure, hypothyroidism, pancreatitis, and chronic lung disease [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Other metabolic and lifestyle factors, such as age, fasting glucose, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption, were also found to be associated with CEA elevation [ 41 ].…”