Annual periodic increases in serum carcinoembryonic antigen concurrent with ground-glass opacity in the lung: report of a case.

A 63-year-old woman underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy for cancer of the right lung in 1999. The following year, a lesion with ground-glass opacity was found in the left lung, and pathological examination after a partial lung resection revealed atypical adenomatous hyperplasia with expression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). During postoperative screening tests for tumor recurrence, there were periodic increases in the serum CEA level by twofold above the normal levels in 2002 and 2003. Clinical evaluations, including laboratory tests, radiographic imaging, and endoscopy examinations, showed no evidence of a CEA-producing tumor, except for a new ground-glass opacity in the left lung. To our knowledge, this is the first report of periodic increases in serum CEA levels in a patient with ground-glass opacity in the lung, not reflecting recurrence of the lung tumor.