Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
| Abbrev Code: | CEA | ||
| Order Code: | LAB57 | Order Name: | CEA |
| Methodology: | Roche: Immunoassay | ||
| CPT Codes: | 82378 x1, 82378 x1 | ||
| Turnaround Time: | Performed and reported 24 hours/day. | ||
| Associated Links: | |||
Collection Instructions
| Specimen: | Blood |
| Optimal Volume: | 2.5 mL |
| Minimum\Peds Volume: | 1.4 mL |
| Container: | Green (lithium heparin, gel) Alternate Containers: Green (lithium heparin) on ICE, Red (no gel), Red or gold (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: | 8 hours at room temperature; 48 hours refrigerated; indefinitely frozen. |
| Test Performed at or Referral Lab | Chemistry (Roche-UMMC East) |
Interpretive
| Reference Range: |
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| 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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