Cardiac failure, hepatic congestion and increased level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen.

A 65-year-old woman undergoing chronic haemodialysis for chronic nephritis had transiently elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels, up to 26 ng/ml for nearly 3 months. This elevation was most probably due to cardiac failure with hepatic congestion and pulmonary oedema, because the antigen level returned to normal when the cardiac failure was properly treated, and comprehensive examinations revealed no other cause. During follow-up for 18 months, the carcinoembryonic antigen level has remained normal.