Correlation between Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Level and Histologic Subtype in Resected Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Recent studies revealed a relationship between ground-glass opacity (GGO) ratio on computed tomography (CT) and serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level in lung adenocarcinoma. Since an association between lepidic histologic pattern and GGO is well accepted, we investigated the link between histologic subtype and serum CEA level in resected lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-one consecutive patients with resected lung adenocarcinoma were studied retrospectively. The histologic subtype was subdivided into 2 groups: lepidic dominant histologic subtype, including adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma and lepidic predominant invasive adenocarcinoma versus other subtypes.

Results: The 5-year survival of patients with s high serum CEA level was significantly more unfavorable than that with normal levels. Similarly, there was also a relationship between the patient survival and histologic subtype, with favorable survival found in patients with the lepidic dominant histologic subtype. There was a significant relationship between serum CEA level and lepidic dominant histologic subtype overall and in p-stage I patients.

Conclusions: Lung adenocarcinomas with non-lepidic dominant histologic subtype are associated with high serum CEA levels.