The prognostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen levels in blood and intraoperative pleural lavage fluid in non-small-cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION: There is no specific marker for lung cancer, but, in some lung cancer types, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can reach high levels in the blood and pleural fluid. AIM: This study investigated the relationship of CEA levels in blood (CEA(B)) and intraoperative pleural lavage fluid (CEA(P)) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the type, stage, and extent of lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 50 patients, who underwent surgery at our clinic due to NSCLC (group I) or benign lung pathology (group II), were assessed. For this prospectively designed study, 25 consecutive patients were included in each group, and their CEA(B) and CEA(P) levels were investigated. RESULTS: When the levels of CEA(P) were compared, the average value of group I (1.35 ng/ml) was significantly higher than the average value of group II (0.04 ng/ml) (p = 0.027). When CEA levels were examined separately, and average values were taken according to surgical pathology results, both CEA(B) and CEA(P) levels of adenocarcinoma patients were found to be higher than those of the other groups. This difference was only significant for the level of CEA(P) (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Although the average CEA(B) levels of patients with adenocarcinoma were higher than those of patients with other histopathological types, this difference was not statistically significant. However, we found that CEA(P) levels were significantly higher in patients with adenocarcinoma. These results have led us to consider that CEA(P) elevation is a more sensitive marker than the elevation of CEA(B).