Maxwell M. Nwegbu
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein tu mour marker that had been in clinical use for more than three decades in colorectal carcinoma (Ca). Is sues of lack of sensitivity and specificity has lim ited its’ use in screening and diagnosis of colorectal c arcinoma but is commonly applied in the therapeutic monitoring and prognostication of colorectal carcin oma. However some studies have called for caution in the it’s’ use routinely as the major tool for mo nitoring disease progression in colorectal carcinom a. This case report of a 33 year-old male with metasta tic colorectal carcinoma shows the inapplicability of plasma CEA evaluation on the monitoring of therapeu tic response to chemotherapy. This case report highlights the need for clinicians to be conscious of the ineffectiveness and sometimes misleading results than can occur with CEA as a monitoring too l in colorectal carcinoma
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