[Carcinoembryonic antigen in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids in the diagnosis of lung cancer]

Abstract

A radioimmunoassay was used for a comparative study of CEA concentrations in the blood serum and bronchoalveolar washes-off in patients with lung cancer (27) and nontumorous lung disease (with bronchitis-14, pneumonia-18, tuberculosis-11, disseminated processes of nontumorous etiology.-12) and in persons without lung pathology (7). Diagnostic sensitivity of CEA determination in the washes-off was 89%, in the blood serum 33%; the specificity was 86 and 56.5%, respectively. The resultant diagnostic accuracy using washes-off was 86%, i.e. almost twice as high as compared to the blood serum (44.7%). Such a high accuracy in CEA determination in the bronchoalveolar washes-off provides an opportunity to use the method for differential diagnosis in unclear cases and for defining groups at high risk of developing lung cancer. The combination of a high level of CEA with unfavorable signs like basal cell hyperplasia, epidermoid metaplasia necessitate patients' follow-up.