A 64-year-old man undergoes CEA surveillance for cancer, because his brother and father both had colon cancer. What information should he be provided?

CEA is useful in the follow-up care of patients with colon carcinoma after resection. The levels of this antigen usually come to normal after complete resection of the tumor. A subsequent elevation may suggest a recurrence of the tumor either at the resection margin or at distant sites. The sensitivity and specificity of CEA for diagnosis of colon carcinoma is poor. It has no implications for respectability of the lesion.