Carcinoembryonic antigen levels in the peripheral and mesenteric venous blood of patients with rectal carcinoma.

Context: The serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an important prognostic factor in colorectal cancer, however the rectum presents different routes of venous drainage, stating that the level of CEA in peripheral and mesenteric rectal tumors may be different, depending on the location of the tumor in the rectal segment.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the peripheral and mesenteric venous levels of CEA and the association between these levels and the tumour location in the rectums of patients successfully operated on for rectal carcinoma.

Methods: Thirty-two patients who were surgically treated for rectal carcinoma were divided into patients with tumours located in the upper rectum (n = 11) or lower rectum (n = 21).