What Does My CEA Test Result Indicate?

Posted on Wed, 7 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 7 Oct 2015 Answered on

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I recently had a medical examination for life insurance purposes... and was alarmed to find out that a CEA test yielded a result of 4.4. I had just gotten rid of an infection and took my last antibiotic days before. I had just had my yearly physical and was perfectly healthy. I had just had a colonoscopy and everything was perfectly fine...Should I be alarmed?

Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
CEA a nonspecific marker

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns

You had an insurance physical and on the lab work they performed a CEA which was slightly elevated. BUt you had a physical and recent colonoscopy which was normal. In light of the normal colonoscopy the CEA is falsely elevated. CEA is not a screening tool for cancer and is very nonspecific. Meaning not very accurate. So the CEA is not clinically indicting any disease and I would forget about it. The best screening tool for colon cancer is the colonoscopy and yours was normal

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar