Carcino-Embryonic Antigen

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a protein found in many types of cells but associated with tumours and the developing fetus.CEA is tested in blood. Benign conditions that can increase CEA include smoking, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and some benign tumours (in the same organs which have cancers with increased CEA). Benign disease does not usually cause a CEA increase over 10 ng/ml.The main use of CEA is as a tumour marker, especially with intestinal cancer. The most common cancers that elevate CEA are in the colon and rectum. Others: cancer of the pancreas, stomach, breast, lung, and certain types of thyroid and ovarian cancer.