Carcinoembryonic Antigen

CEA

1.0 mL collected in a SST (serum seprator gold-top tube)
​

1.0 mL

Plasma - Li Heparin (PST)

Plasma –EDTA (Lavender)

Gold top (SST)

Red top

Tiger top (SST)

Room temperature

Room temperature: 7 days at 20 - 25°C Refrigerated: 14 days at 2 - 8°C Frozen: 6 months at ­20°C

Grossly hemolyzed samples not accepted.
Samples not correctly labeled with first name, last name, and date of birth.

Sun - Sat

Same day

The measured CEA value of a patient's sample can vary depending on the test procedure used. CEA values determined on patient samples by different test procedures cannot be directly compared with one another and could be the cause of erroneous medical interpretations.

4.7 – 5.2 ng/mL

CEA is a monomeric glycoprotein (molecular weight approx. 180000 daltons) with a variable carbohydrate component of approx. 45 - 60%. CEA, like AFP, belongs to the group of carcinofetal antigens that are produced during the embryonic and fetal period. The CEA gene family consists of about 17 active genes in two subgroups.2 The first group contains CEA and the Non-specific Cross-reacting Antigens (NCA); the second group contains the Pregnancy-Specific Glycoproteins (PSG). CEA is mainly found in the fetal gastrointestinal tract and in fetal serum. It also occurs in slight quantities in intestinal, pancreatic, and hepatic tissue of healthy adults. The formation of CEA is repressed after birth, and accordingly serum CEA values are hardly measurable in healthy adults. High CEA concentrations are frequently found in cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma.3 Slight to moderate CEA elevations (rarely >10 ng/mL) occur in 20 - 50% of benign diseases of the intestine, the pancreas, the liver, and the lungs (e.g., liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, or emphysema).4 Smokers also have elevated CEA values. The main indication for CEA determinations is the follow-up and therapy-management of colorectal carcinoma. CEA determinations are not recommended for cancer-screening in the general population. CEA concentrations within the normal range do not exclude the possible presence of a malignant disease. The antibodies react with CEA and (as with almost all CEA methods) with the meconium antigen (NCA2).5 Cross-reactivity with NCA1 is 0.7%.