What level of CEA indicates cancer?

Elevated levels of CEA occur when the CEA is higher than 3 ng/mL. These levels are considered abnormal. People with many types of cancers can have levels that are higher than 3 ng/mL. If you have values that are that high, it doesn’t mean you have cancer.

Does high CEA levels mean cancer?

A high level of CEA can be a sign of certain types of cancers. These include cancers of the colon and rectum, prostate, ovary, lung, thyroid, or liver. High CEA levels may also be a sign of some noncancerous conditions, such as cirrhosis, noncancerous breast disease, and emphysema.

Is CEA a reliable tumor marker?

Doctors don’t use the CEA test to make a first-time diagnosis of cancer. This test isn’t an accurate way to screen for it because many other diseases can cause the levels of this protein to rise. And some people with cancer don’t have high CEA levels.

What is a normal CEA level?

The normal range is 0 to 2.5 ng/mL (0 to 2.5 µg/L). In smokers, slightly higher values may be considered normal (0 to 5 ng/mL, or 0 to 5 µg/L).

What is a normal tumor marker for colon cancer?

The most common tumor marker for colorectal cancer is carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).

What is CEA levels in colon cancer?

CEA is an antigen (small protein) that is found on the surface of many types of cancer cells and high levels of CEA can be detected in the blood of some patients with cancer and the developing fetus. The CEA is measured in the blood and the normal range is <2.5 ng/ml in an adult non-smoker and <5.0 ng/ml in a smoker.

Can CEA be high without cancer?

Can CEA be high without having cancer? Yes, elevations in CEA and CA 19-9 levels may occur in patients without cancer. In fact studies suggest that falsely elevated levels may occur in up to 50% of colon cancer patients post treatment leading to unnecessary anxiety and testing.

What can raise CEA levels?

Benign conditions which can elevate CEA include smoking, infections, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and some benign tumors in the same organs in which an elevated CEA indicates cancer.

Can stress raise CEA levels?

Our findings clearly indicated that immobilization stress results in enhanced serum CEA level whether the stress is acute or chronic. Consistent with our finding, there are reports suggesting that stress can increase tumor growth and tumor marker expression [26, 27].

What causes CEA levels to rise?

The most frequent cancer which causes an increased CEA is cancer of the colon and rectum. Benign conditions which can elevate CEA include smoking, infections, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and some benign tumors in the same organs in which an elevated CEA level indicates cancer.

How accurate is CEA blood test?

Sensitivity of CEA ranged from 17.4 % to 100 %, specificity ranged from 66.1 % to 98.4 %, positive predictive value ranged from 45.8 % to 95.2% and negative predictive value ranged from 74.5 % to 100 %.