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Correlations between preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of peripheral (p-CEA) and draining blood (d-CEA), the CEA gradient between d-CEA and p-CEA (d-p CEA gradient) levels, and survival after resection of cancer lesions were examined in 94 patients with colorectal cancer. Survival rates of patients with normal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels (less than 5 ng/ml) were significantly better than those of patients with abnormal levels (greater than or equal to 5 ng/ml), and the 5-year survival rates were, respectively, 62%, 69%, and 72% in the former and 42%, 41%, and 35% in the latter. The differences in the 5-year survival rates between patients with normal and abnormal d-p CEA gradient, d-CEA, and p-CEA levels were 37%, 28%, and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, the positive rates of d-CEA levels (64%) and d-p CEA gradient levels (48%) were higher than that of p-CEA levels (36%). However, some significant differences in background variables also were found between the respective groups of patients with normal and abnormal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels. These results suggest that patients with poor prognoses are examined more effectively by determining their d-p CEA gradient and d-CEA levels than their p-CEA levels, and that CEA may be expressed as a quantitative sum total of various pathophysiologic variables of patients with colorectal cancer but not as an independent prognostic variable.

The correlation between CA19-9 levels of portal and peripheral venous blood, and immunohistochemical variables of cancer lesions was examined in 53 gastric cancer patients and eight patients with benign diseases. Immunohistochemically, CA19-9 was found in 33 (62.5%) of 53 primary lesions. The antigen was found in the cancer cells of invasive lymphatics and node metastases of every CA19-9 localized cancer, although the cancer cells in veins showed little or no CA19-9. There was little or no antigen in the cancer cells in veins, lymphatics, or metastases of 20 CA19-9 nonlocalized primary lesions. Patients with CA19-9 nonlocalized cancer or with benign diseases showed no elevation of the antigen levels in peripheral or portal blood. CA19-9 levels of portal blood (mean, 76.4 U/ml; positive rate, 33.3%) were not different from those of peripheral blood (mean, 91.5 U/ml; positive rate, 33.3%). Additionally, the antigen levels of the blood in patients with lymphatic invasion or node metastases were significantly higher than those in patients without the invasion or the metastases, and every patient without the invasion showed no elevation of the antigen. These results suggest that production of the antigen in cancer cells may be a premise of CA19-9 elevation in peripheral blood and that CA19-9 may be drained by the thoracic duct of the lymphatic system via node metastases or invasive lymphatics, but not by the hematogenous portal system.

Correlation between carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of peripheral and portal blood, and eight histopathologic variables, was examined in 66 patients with colorectal cancer. The change in CEA levels in the portal blood of 40 patients during operation was also examined in relation to histopathologic variables. CEA levels of portal blood (with a mean of 26.6 ng/ml and positive rate greater than 5 ng/ml, 59.1%) were significantly higher than those of peripheral blood (8.1 ng/ml, 33.3%). Elevation of CEA levels in portal and peripheral blood was most highly correlated with the venous invasion. Although the levels in the portal blood were related to six other histopathologic variables including tumor size, tumor differentiation, node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, invasive layer of the colorectal wall, and Dukes' classification except tumor location. CEA levels rose from 19.4 ng/ml and 40% to 43.6 ng/ml and 90.2% respectively following operative stimuli to cancer lesions with venous invasion. However, the levels did not rise in the lesions without the invasion. CEA levels of peripheral blood were as low as 5 ng/ml in three out of eight patients with liver metastasis. However, the levels in portal blood were much greater than 5 ng/ml in all of the patients. These results suggest that CEA may be hematogenously drained by the portal system via the draining vein from the cancer cells in the invasive veins but not by the thoracic duct of the lymphatic system.