Abstract
Extract: The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) activity was measured in urine, saliva, and plasma in children with and without cystic fibrosis (CF). Serial determinations of plasma CEA were also made in four of these patients to determine whether plasma CEA level varies with changes in clinical condition. Characterization of CEA-active molecules in the saline extracts of urine, saliva, plasma, and sputum were made with the technique of Sepharose 6B column chromatography. The plasma CEA levels (4.4 ± 2.4 ng/ml) in CF children were found to be significantly higher than the reported upper range for normal subjects (2.5 ng/ml), or those for our control patients of comparable age 1.6 ± 0.7 ng/ml). Good correlation (correlation coefficient 0.87) was found between the levels of plasma CEA and Schwachman scores in 22 patients. Parallel changes of plasma CEA levels with changes in the clinical condition were also observed in the follow-up studies. In these four patients the plasma-CEA level was best correlated with the profuseness of rales and rhonchi and the amount of sputum production. Although CEA activity was present in the urine and saliva of CF patients, the CEA concentration did not differ significantly from that of normal control subjects.
Column chromatography was performed on urine, saliva, plasma, and sputum from patients with cystic fibrosis. One heterogenous peak with a molecular weight of approximately 200,000 was noted in all fluids examined and was similar to the CEA peak obtained from colon tumors. Another peak appeared in the void column which corresponded to a molecular weight equal to or greater than 1 million. The latter peak was found in all fluids except plasma. The activity profiles of CEA activity of the physiologic fluids in normal patients and patients with cystic fibrosis were similar
Speculation: The correlation of plasma CEA levels with the amount of sputum production in patients with CF may explain the similar elevation of Plasma-CEA in chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumonia, and in smokers. In all of these subjects there is an increase in sputum production. It is also possible that CEA-active glycoproteins in the sputum and in the plasma of patients with cystic fibrosis are disease-associated abnormal glycoproteins. Further investigation may provide new leads to the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis
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Wu, J., Herbst, J. & Bray, P. Elevated Plasma Levels of Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Cystic Fibrosis. Pediatr Res 10, 235–238 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197604000-00007
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197604000-00007