Significance of CEA and VEGF as Diagnostic Markers of Colorectal Cancer in Lebanese Patients

Abstract

Carcinoembryonic antigen and vascular endothelial growth factors are among the most important prognostic markers of colorectal cancer. Testing for these markers independently has been of limited value in screening for this tumor. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of simultaneous blood CEA and VEGF level determinations in diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Thirty-six patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer along with eight healthy controls were tested by ELISA for CEA and VEGF levels in serum and plasma, respectively. The positive predictive value of these markers was 95.4% for CEA and 89.5% for VEGF, and for combined CEA and VEGF was also high at 88%. Combined CEA and VEGF blood level assay constitutes a useful panel in detecting patients with colorectal cancer. Positive results allow selection of a subgroup of patients with a high tumor risk; therefore, such tests comprise valuable tumor diagnostic tests to add to current detection methods.

Circulating MicroRNAs: a novel class of biomarkers to diagnose and monitor human cancers

“…However, there are very few tests capable of detecting these rare biomarkers in blood. Several currently available serum/plasma biomarkers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21‐1), alphafetoprotein (AFP), etc., offer some promise of analyzing tumors comprehensively without involving a biopsy or a surgical procedure. There are, however, considerable barriers to the broad implementation of these biomarkers in clinic.…”

“…There are, however, considerable barriers to the broad implementation of these biomarkers in clinic. So far, the known tumor markers are primarily proteins, such as CEA, NSE, chromogranin A, carbohydrate antigen 15‐3, carbohydrate antigen 19‐9, CYFRA21‐1, AFP, and human chorionic gonadotropin . The major concern of these markers is their low sensitivities and specificities, which may make them minimally useful for clinical screening .…”