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CEA Test

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What is a CEA test?

CEA stands for carcinoembryonic antigen. It is a protein found in the tissues of a developing baby. CEA levels normally become very low or disappear after birth. Healthy adults should have very little or no CEA in their body.

This test measures the amount of CEA in the blood, and sometimes in other body fluids. CEA is a type of tumour marker. Tumour markers are substances made by cancer cells or by normal cells in response to cancer in the body.

A high level of CEA can be a sign of certain types of cancers. These include cancers of the colon and rectum, prostate, ovary, lung, thyroid, or liver. High CEA levels may also be a sign of some noncancerous conditions, such as cirrhosis, noncancerous breast disease, and emphysema.

A CEA test can’t tell you what kind of cancer you have, or even whether you have cancer. So the test is not used for cancer screening or diagnosis. But if you’ve already been diagnosed with cancer, a CEA test can help monitor the effectiveness of your treatment and/or help find out if the disease has spread to other parts of your body.

Other names: CEA assay, CEA blood test, carcinoembryonic antigen test

What is it used for?

A CEA test may be used to:

  • Monitor treatment of people with certain types of cancers. These include colon cancer and cancers of the rectum, prostate, ovary, lung, thyroid, and liver.
  • Figure out the stage of your cancer. This means checking the size of the tumour and how far cancer has spread.
  • See if cancer has returned after treatment.

Why do I need a CEA test?

You may need this test if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Your health care provider may test you before you start treatment, and then regularly throughout the course of your therapy. This can help your provider see how well your treatment is working. You may also get a CEA test after you’ve completed treatment. The test can help show whether cancer has come back.

What happens during a CEA test?

CEA is usually measured in the blood. During a CEA blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

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Sometimes, CEA is tested in the spinal fluid or from fluid in the abdominal wall. For these tests, your provider will remove a small sample of fluid using a thin needle and/or syringe. The following fluids may be tested:

  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear, colourless liquid found in the spinal cord
  • Peritoneal fluid, a fluid that lines your abdominal wall
  • Pleural fluid, a liquid inside your chest cavity that covers the outside of each lung

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You don’t need any special preparations for a CEA blood test or a pleural fluid test.

You may be asked to empty your bladder and bowels before a CSF or peritoneal fluid test.

Are there any risks to the test?

There is very little risk to having a CEA blood test. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.

CEA tests of body fluids are usually very safe. Serious problems are rare. But you may experience one or more of the following side effects:

  • If you had a CSF test, you may feel some pain or tenderness in your back at the site where the needle was inserted. Some people get a headache after the test. This is called a post-lumbar headache.
  • If you had a peritoneal fluid test, you may feel a little dizzy or lightheaded after the procedure. There is a small risk of damage to the bowel or bladder, which may cause an infection.
  • If you had a pleural fluid test, there is a small risk of lung damage, infection, or blood loss.

What do the results mean?

If you were tested before you started treatment for cancer, your results may show:

  • A low level of CEA. This may mean your tumour is small and cancer has not spread to other parts of your body.
  • A high level of CEA. This may mean you have a larger tumour and/or your cancer may have spread.
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If you are being treated for cancer, you may be tested several times throughout treatment. These results may show:

  • Your levels of CEA started high and remained high. This may mean your cancer is not responding to treatment.
  • Your levels of CEA started high but then decreased. This may mean your treatment is working.
  • Your CEA levels decreased, but then later increased. This may mean your cancer has come back after you’ve been treated.

If you had a test on a body fluid (CSF, peritoneal, or pleural), a high level of CEA may mean the cancer has spread to that area.

If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.

Is there anything else I need to know about a CEA test?

Many cancers don’t produce CEA. If your CEA results were normal, you may still have cancer. Also, high levels of CEA can be a sign of a noncancerous health condition. In addition, people who smoke cigarettes often have higher than normal CEA levels.

References

  1. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA); [updated 2018 Feb 12; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/carcinoembryonic-antigen-cea
  2. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis (CSF); [updated 2018 Sep 12; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/cerebrospinal-fluid-csf-analysis
  3. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. Peritoneal Fluid Analysis; [updated 2018 Sep 28; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/peritoneal-fluid-analysis
  4. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. Pleural Fluid Analysis; [updated 2017 Nov 14; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/pleural-fluid-analysis
  5. Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1998–2018. Lumbar puncture (spinal tap): About; 2018 Apr 24 [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lumbar-puncture/about/pac-20394631
  6. Mayo Clinic: Mayo Medical Laboratories [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1995–2018. Test ID: CEA: Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), Serum: Overview; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/Overview/8521
  7. Merck Manual Consumer Version [Internet]. Kenilworth (NJ): Merck & Co. Inc.; c2018. Diagnosis of Cancer; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/cancer/overview-of-cancer/diagnosis-of-cancer
  8. National Cancer Institute [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: carcinoembryonic antigen; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/carcinoembryonic-antigen
  9. National Cancer Institute [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Tumor Markers; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis/tumor-markers-fact-sheet
  10. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Blood Tests; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/blood-tests
  11. UF Health: University of Florida Health [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): University of Florida Health; c2018. CEA blood test: Overview; [updated 2018 Dec 17; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://ufhealth.org/cea-blood-test
  12. UF Health: University of Florida Health [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): University of Florida Health; c2018. Peritoneal fluid analysis: Overview; [updated 2018 Dec 17; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://ufhealth.org/peritoneal-fluid-analysis
  13. UF Health: University of Florida Health [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): University of Florida Health; c2018. Pleural fluid analysis: Overview; [updated 2018 Dec 17; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://ufhealth.org/pleural-fluid-analysis
  14. University of Rochester Medical Center [Internet]. Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center; c2018. Health Encyclopedia: Carcinoembryonic Antigen; [cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=167&contentid=carcinoembryonic_antigen
  15. UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. Health Information: Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA): Results; [updated 2018 Mar 28; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 8 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/carcinoembryonic-antigen-cea/hw3988.html#hw4014
  16. UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. Health Information: Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA): Test Overview; [updated 2018 Mar 28; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/carcinoembryonic-antigen-cea/hw3988.html
  17. UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. Health Information: Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA): What to Think About; [updated 2018 Mar 28; cited 2018 Dec 17]; [about 10 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/carcinoembryonic-antigen-cea/hw3988.html#hw4027
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