Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was discovered in the extracts of adenocarcinomas of the human colon. CEA comprises a group of heterogeneous glycoproteins of molecular weight of 200,000 d. Normally present in embryonic and fetal digestive tissues, CEA was
CEA can be detected in plasma using a radioimmunoassay or immunoenzymatic technique. CEA is elevated (over 5.0 nanograms/ml) in patients with tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, but also with other tumors (breast, pancreas, lungs) and in a variety of d