Carcinoembryonic antigen

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As carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a family of related glycoproteins in the immunoglobulin superfamily called.

history

The carcinoembryonic antigen was first identified in cell extracts from colorectal carcinomas by Phil Gold and Samuel O. Freedman in 1965 .

genetics

The human carcinoembryonic gene family can be divided into three subgroups of 29 genes or pseudogenes according to their nucleotide sequence : the CEA subgroup with 12 members, the PSG subgroup with 11 members and a third subgroup with 6 members.

Tumor markers

CEA is used as a tumor marker for a number of malignant tumors , in particular for colon cancer , pancreatic cancer , breast cancer and adenocarcinoma of the lungs. Cells that produce CEA incorporate this glycoprotein into their cell membrane and also release it into the blood. The marker can thus be detected both on cells and in body fluids. Due to its low specificity, this tumor marker is only partially suitable as an early detection marker, but it is of great importance in tumor follow-up. The serum concentration of the tumor marker is at least partially correlated with the total tumor mass. Benign diseases, which are often associated with an increase in CEA, are inflammation of the liver, pancreas, intestines ( ulcerative colitis , diverticulitis ), stomach and lungs and, above all, alcohol-related liver cirrhosis . False positive values ​​can be found in smokers. With permanently elevated values, however, there is a high probability that a malignant tumor is responsible.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gold, P. & Freedman, SO (1965): Demonstration of tumor-specific antigens in human colonic carcinomata by immunological tolerance and absorption techniques. In: J Exp Med 121: 439. PMID 14270243 .
  2. ↑ Hammarström, S. (1999): The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family: structures, suggested functions and expression in normal and malignant tissues. In: Semin Cancer Biol . 9 (2): 67-81. PMID 10202129 doi : 10.1006 / scbi.1998.0119

literature

  • Klaus Dörner (Ed.): Clinical Chemistry and Hematology , 4th edition, Stuttgart 2001, p. 119.

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