Association of T Stage and Serum CEA Levels in Determining Survival of Rectal Cancer

Purpose: To investigate the association of T stage and serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in determining oncologic outcomes of rectal cancer. Methods: Patients diagnosed with stage I–II rectal cancer patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Results: In stage T1N0M0 disease, elevated level of serum CEA (C1) was associated with 227.6% increased risk of mortality compared to normal level of serum CEA (C0; hazard ratio = 3.276, 95% confidence interval = 2.781–3.858, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Stage T1N0M0 rectal cancer, when involved in preoperative serum CEA elevation, may be a surrogate of biologically aggressive disease and correlate with unfavorable oncologic outcomes. Moreover, this subgroup of rectal cancer deserves more clinical attention of oncologists.