carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

Description

A protein that is normally found in small amounts in the blood of most healthy people but that can be higher in people who smoke tobacco or have certain types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.

CEA can be used as a tumour marker. It is used to monitor a person’s response to treatment for colorectal, breast, lung, stomach or pancreatic cancer, or to see if colorectal cancer has come back (recurred) after treatment.

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