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Description

The clinical test for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a blood test used to measure the level of CEA in a patient's serum. CEA is a protein produced by certain types of cancer cells, and elevated levels of CEA in the blood can indicate the presence of cancer.

The method for obtaining CEA from a patient's serum involves drawing a sample of blood from the patient and then separating the serum from the other components of the blood. The serum is then tested for the presence of CEA using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or a radioimmunoassay (RIA). These tests measure the amount of CEA in the serum and can be used to diagnose and monitor certain types of cancer.

Synonyms

• carcinoembryonic Ag
• CEA

Other Sample Sources for This Test

• bile
• cerebrospinal fluid
• lung fluid
• pericardial fluid
• peritoneal fluid
• plasma
• pleural fluid
• urine
• vaginal fluid
• whole blood

Some Diseases Associated with an Abnormal Carcinoembryonic Antigen

• benign hypertension
• infectious or parasitic disease
• diabetes mellitus
• malignant neoplasm
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• chronic bronchitis
• ischemic heart disease
• osteoarthritis
• coronary atherosclerosis
• celiac disease
• benign thyroid disease
• emphysema
• malignant pulmonary neoplasm
• malignant female breast neoplasm
• inflammatory bowel disease
• anemia
• hypothyroidism
• acute pancreatitis
• pneumonia
• hernia
• bacterial pneumonia
• malignant prostate neoplasm
• gastritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• hemorrhoids
• intestinal diverticular disease
• malignant colorectal neoplasm
• nonmedicinal toxicity
• acute renal failure

Detailed Laboratory Testing Information (use the custom search buttons below to find details on these topics)

All of the following must be considered when interpreting clinical findings and are too extensive to be covered on this site: