A Patient with Early Gastric Cancer Detected by High Level of Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen

Hideaki Niiyama¹⁾²⁾, Junichi Yoshida¹⁾²⁾, Takayoshi Nagata¹⁾

¹⁾Department of Surgery, Shimonoseki National Hospital
²⁾Department of Surgery I, Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine

Increasing levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in a 66-year-old man led to examination of the systemic organs. Gastric endoscopy revealed a shallow, depressed lesion in the vicinity of the pylorus. The CEA level continued to increase, reaching 171 ng/ml preoperatively. The CEA level in gastricjuice was 249 ng/ml. The patient underwent partial gastrectomy. Microscopic examination showed the lesion to be well differentiated adenocarcinoma invading to the submucosal layer; the majority of the tumor cells were positive for CEA staining. Serum levels of CEA decreased postoperatively and fell within the normal range on the 80th postoperative day. Early gastric cancer rarely shows high levels of CEA. Increased CEA. Increased CEA levels in the gastric juice and serum dictate meticulous investigation of the stomach.

Key words
early gastric cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen

Reprint requests
Hideaki Niiyama Department of Surgery, Kyushu Rosai Hospital
1-3-1 Kuzuharatakamatsu, Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, 800-02 JAPAN

Accepted
July 6, 1994

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