Metastatic breast cancer with constantly low CEA blood levels

The capability of breast cancer to secrete CEA might have biological significance. In 105 patients with metastatic breast cancer serial CEA determinations and clinical follow-up data were available during progression of disease up to death. In this series, 39 patients (37%) had constantly low CEA levels (<10 ng/ml), whereas 66 patients (63%) showed CEA values exceeding 10 ng/ml with progression. The patients with low CEA levels had significantly shorter median survival times (P=0.001) after mastectomy (39 versus 65 months) and after recurrence (18 versus 28 months) than the patients with high CEA levels. This difference was due first to a poor-risk group of 13 patients with rapidly disseminating tumors, very short survival (<12 months), and low CEA levels. Secondly, there were more patients with pulmonary involvement and unfavorable prognosis and fewer patients with osseous metastases and long survival in the low-CEA group.