Carcinoembryonic Antigen
| Sunquest Code: | CEA | ||
| Epic Code: | LAB57 | Epic Name: | CEA |
| Synonyms: | CEA | ||
| Methodology: | Chemiluminescent immunoassay | ||
| Turnaround Time: | Performed and reported 24 hours/day. | ||
Collection Instructions
| Specimen: | Blood |
| Optimal Volume: | 2.5 mL |
| Minimum\Peds Volume: | 1.4 mL |
| Container: | Red or gold (gel) (Red (no gel)) |
| Causes for Rejection: | Serum not separated from cells within 8 hours after collection. Gross hemolysis. |
Processing and Shipping
| Specimen Processing: | Centrifuge and aliquot 1.25 mL, 0.6 mL minimum. Store in refrigerator or freeze. |
| Shipping Instructions: | Ship at refrigerated temperature. Alternatively, ship on dry ice. |
| Stability: | Stability: Room temperature - 8 hours; refrigerated - 48 hours; frozen - indefinitely. |
| Test Performed at or Referral Lab | Chemistry (UMMC-East Bank) |
Interpretive
| Reference Range: | Nonsmokers: 0-2.5 ug/L; Smokers: 0-5.0 ug/L The ADVIA Centaur CEA method is used. Results obtained with different assay methods or kits cannot be used interchangeably. |
| Use: | Monitoring of patients with carcinoma of the colon, pancreas and breast neoplasm. At least two progressive elevations of CEA at one month intervals may herald tumor recurrence 3-36 months before clinical evidence of metastasis. A shallow rise may signal local recurrence, while a large rise in values may indicate hepatic metastasis. CEA levels are increased in smokers. |
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