THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CEA AND CA15-3 IN EARLY BREAST CANCER ITS ASSOCIATION WITH CLINICO PATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY IN MADINAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Background and Aims: The utility of measuring carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) levels in patients with breast cancer remains controversial. The present study aims to investigate the association between tumor markers [cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)] and clinicopathological characteristics. Methods: Serum preoperative CEA and CA 15-3 concentration levels were measured in a total of 135 breast cancer patients.The association of tumor markers levels with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Results: Elevated serum levels of CEA and CA15-3 were identified in 26 (19.26%) and 20 (14.8%) patients, respectively. Increased CEA levels were not associated with age, histological type, tumor size, tumor grade, breast cancer stages, or breast cancer types. CA15-3 levels were positively correlated with the size of the primary tumor (P<0.026) but had no significant correlation with the other factors. Conclusions: The elevation of CA 15-3 was positively correlated with the size of the primary tumor.