J Korean Med Sci.  2003 Dec;18(6):855-858. 10.3346/jkms.2003.18.6.855.

The Role of Bile Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Diagnosing Bile Duct Cancer

• Joo KR
• Kim DH
• Park JH
• Bang SJ
• Shin JW
• Park NH
• Park JH

• KMID: 1086743
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2003.18.6.855

Abstract

It is known that the fluids bathing tumors might contain a higher level of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) than those found in the blood. Therefore, we evaluated the role of bile CEA in diagnosing bile duct cancer. One hundred and thirty two patients were prospectively studied. The patients were divided into 3 groups: the bile duct cancer (n=32), pancreatic cancer (n=16), and benign biliary diseases (n=84) groups. Bile samples were obtained on the next day of the biliary drainage procedures. The mean bile CEA level in those with bile duct cancer (120.6+/-156.9 ng/mL) was significantly higher than those with pancreatic cancer and benign biliary diseases (32.0+/-28.5 ng/mL, 29.3+/-56.3 ng/mL). Using the level of 20 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of bile CEA in the diagnosis of bile duct cancer from benign biliary diseases were 65.6% and 66.7%, respectively. Both the bile CEA and total bilirubin level were found to be an independent factor linked to bile duct cancer. This study result suggests that bile CEA level is a useful supplementary test for diagnosing bile duct cancer.

Keyword

Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Bile; Bile Duct Neoplasms

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bile/*chemistry
Bile Duct Neoplasms/*diagnosis/immunology
Carcinoembryonic Antigen/*analysis
Female
Human
Male
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Statistics