Biliary carcinoembryonic antigen levels in diagnosis of occult hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma

Table 1 Average values for serum and bile CEA obtained from patients operated for colorectal carcinoma

Variables	Average(ng/ml)	S.D.	Minimum(ng/ml)	Maximum(ng/ml)	n
Serum CEA	8.5	18.7	0.1	111.0	44
Bile CEA	74.5	13 ± 0.26	0.2	57 ± 1.0	44

Wilcoxon (Z) = -4.614, P < 0.0001 (Serum CEA vs Bile CEA), Notes: S.D. = standard deviation.

Table 2 Average values for serum and bile CEA obtained from patients operated for uncomplicated cholelithiasis

Variables	Average (ng/ml)	S.D.	Minimum (ng/ml)	Maximum (ng/ml)	n
Serum CEA	1.9	0.8	1.0 ng/ml	3.5 ng/ml	10
Bile CEA	1.2	0.9	0.3 ng/ml	2.9 ng/ml	10

Wilcoxon (Z) = -1.992, P < 0.46 (Serum CEA vs Bile CEA), Notes: S.D. = standard deviation.

Table 3 Average values of the bile CEA/serum CEA ratio obtained from patients operated for colorectal carcinoma and cholelithiasis

Group	Variables	Average	S.D.	Minimum	Maximum	n
Colorectal	Bile CEA/	22.1	48.5	0.02	287.0	44
carcinoma	serum CEA
Cholelithiasis	Bile CEA/	0.6	0.3	0.3	1.9	10
	serum CEA

Mann-Whitney (U) = 63.5, P < 0.0001 (colorectal carcinoma group vs cholelithiasis group), Notes: S.D. = standard deviation.

Table 4 Location of the lesion, Dukes’ staging and serum and bile CEA values, obtained from the patients operated for colorectal carcinoma with hepatic metastases during the follow-up

Case	Location	Dukes	Serum CEA(ng/ml)	Bile CEA(ng/ml)
1	Transverse colon	B	22.8	510.0
2	Rectum	C	2.1	292.0
3	Rectum	C	9.4	44.1
4	Sigmoid	C	6.6	6.6
Average			10.2	213.2