Background: The problem of the relationship between blood carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and tissue CEA content in colorectal carcinoma, and the mechanisms for CEA release from tumor cells in tissue adjacent to the neoplasm is important to understanding the biology of colorectal carcinoma. It has not been adequately explained whether CEA in the peripheral blood is drained mainly by portal system blood or by the lymphatic system, or indeed by both systems.
Aim: To study the behavior of CEA levels in peripheral blood (CEA-p) and venous effluent blood (CEA-d) among patients with colorectal tumors, who underwent curative operation.