J Korean Med Sci.  2011 Jun;26(6):759-764. 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.6.759.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen Level Can be Overestimated in Metabolic Syndrome

• Kim KN
• Joo NS
• Je SY
• Kim KM
• Kim BT
• Park SB
• Cho DY
• Park RW
• Lee DJ

• KMID: 1785961
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.6.759

Abstract

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels can be affected by many factors and metabolic syndrome is also a candidate. This study examined the relationship between CEA levels and metabolic syndrome using the data of 32,897 healthy Koreans. Fecal occult blood tests were also performed. Subjects with colorectal carcinoma were excluded. Subjects were classified by their smoking status, metabolic syndrome and its components. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its all components showed a significant increase according to the quartile of serum CEA concentration (P < 0.001). Increased numbers of metabolic syndrome components showed a positive association with CEA levels (P-trend < 0.001). The odds ratios for the highest CEA quartile vs the lowest serum CEA quartile significantly increased in the presence of metabolic syndrome and its components. After adjusting for age, gender and smoking status, metabolic syndrome, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol and elevated blood pressure had higher odds ratios (OR) of the highest CEA quartile compared with the lowest serum CEA quartile (OR = 1.125, 95% CI = 1.030 to 1.222, P = 0.009; OR = 1.296, 95% CI = 1.195 to 1.405, P < 0.001; OR = 1.334, 95% CI = 1.229 to 1.448, P < 0.001, respectively). These results indicate that metabolic syndrome is associated with CEA value, which may lead to a misunderstanding of the CEA levels.

Keyword

Metabolic Syndrome; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Smoking

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Blood Pressure
Carcinoembryonic Antigen/*blood
Child
Cholesterol, LDL/blood
Female
Humans
Male
Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood/epidemiology/pathology
Middle Aged
Occult Blood
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Smoking

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components according to the quartile of serum CEA concentration. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its all components show a significant increase according to the quartile of serum CEA concentration (P < 0.001). WC, waist circumference; HDLC, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; BP, blood pressure; IFG, impaired fasting glucose. Q1, 1st quartile; Q2, 2nd quartile; Q3, 3rd quartile; Q4, 4th quartile.

• 

  Fig. 2 The relationship between carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and the sum of metabolic syndrome components. Vertical bar indicates 95% confidence interval. White circle indicates mean. Lower and upper bar indicates 95% confidence interval (P-trend < 0.001).

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