Carcinoembryonic antigen serum levels in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix: clinical significance.

In 114 patients with invasive cervical cancer of the squamous cell type pretreatment CEA levels were determined. An individual upper limit of the normal range was derived taking into account the smoking habits and the age of each patient. Pretreatment CEA levels exceeding the upper limit of normal concurred with a very poor prognosis, regardless of the stage of the tumor. Moreover, in 92 patients longitudinal CEA patterns were established. The median follow-up time of the nonrecurrence patients was four years. Three patients appeared to be exclusively associated with the presence of recurrent cancer. The median lead-time obtained in patients demonstrating such patterns, was 13 weeks. The clinical value and the possible therapeutic consequences of the findings presented are discussed in relation to the available knowledge of tumor growth in cervical cancer.