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Evaluating the Prognostic Role of Elevated Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels in Colon Cancer Patients: Results from the National Cancer Database

  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a reliable tumor marker for the management and surveillance of colon cancer. However, limitations in previous studies have made it difficult to elucidate whether CEA should be established as a prognostic indicator. This study examines the association between elevated preoperative CEA levels and overall survival in colon cancer patients using a national population-based registry.

Methods

Stage I–III colon cancer patients were identified from the 2004–2006 National Cancer Database. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between elevated CEA levels and overall survival after controlling for important patient, hospital, and tumor characteristics. A Monte Carlo Markov Chain was used to impute the large degree of missing CEA data. All models controlled for the propensity score in order to account for selection bias.

Results

A total of 137,381 patients met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 34 % of patients had an elevated CEA level and 66 % had a normal CEA level, with a median survival of 70 and 100 months, respectively. Patients with an elevated CEA level had a 62 % increase in the hazard of death (HR 1.62, 95 % CI 1.53–1.74) compared with patients with a normal CEA level.

Conclusions

Preoperative CEA was an independent predictor of overall survival across all stages. The results support recommendations to include CEA levels as another high-risk feature that clinicians can use to counsel patients on adjuvant chemotherapy, especially for stage II patients.

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Financial Support

Adan Z. Becerra, Christian P. Probst, Mohamedtaki A. Tejani, Christopher T. Aquina, Maynor G. González, Bradley J. Hensley, Katia Noyes, John R. Monson, and Fergal J. Fleming have no research support or other disclosures to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Surgical Health Outcomes and Research Enterprise, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Adan Z. Becerra BA, Christian P. Probst MD, Christopher T. Aquina MD, Maynor G. González PhD, Bradley J. Hensley MD, MBA, Katia Noyes PhD, John R. Monson MD & Fergal J. Fleming MD

  2. Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Mohamedtaki A. Tejani MD

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  1. Adan Z. Becerra BA
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  2. Christian P. Probst MD
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Correspondence to Adan Z. Becerra BA.

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Becerra, A.Z., Probst, C.P., Tejani, M.A. et al. Evaluating the Prognostic Role of Elevated Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels in Colon Cancer Patients: Results from the National Cancer Database. Ann Surg Oncol 23, 1554–1561 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-015-5014-1

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