[Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) (author's Transl)]

Serial determinations of CEA concentrations in serum were performed postoperatively in 303 patients with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. The trend of the time course of computerised CEA curves made early diagnosis of recurrence or metastases possible. Diagnosis of recurrence by means of a rise in CEA concentration preceded positive clinical diagnosis by up to 10 months. In all 26 cases confirmation was obtained by second-look operation or other diagnostic means. Analysis of serial CEA measurements made it possible to distinguish between generalised metastasization and local recurrence of the tumour, on the one hand, and limited metastasization at the site of recurrence, on the other.