Definition
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was first identified in 1965 in human colon cancer tissue extracts and shown to be absent in normal colonic tissue (Gold and Freedman 1965). The CEA gene family belongs to the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily that contains numerous glycoproteins with a large spectrum of functions. Within the Ig superfamily, the members of the CEA subgroup are anchored in the cell membrane and form a family of 12 glycoproteins that consist of antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) (Hammarstrom 1999; Han et al. 2020). CEA is also designated as CEACAM5. The members of the pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (PSG) subgroup are secreted.
Features
CEACAMs play a key role during embryonic development for intercellular adhesion and organ development, as well as signaling molecules. CEA is normally found in embryonic and fetal tissue, but its expression is...
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References and Further Reading
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Gold, P., & Freedman, S. O. (1965). Demonstration of tumor-specific antigens in human colonic carcinomata by immunological tolerance and absorption techniques. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 121, 439–462. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.121.3.439.
Hammarstrom, S. (1999). The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family: structures, suggested functions and expression in normal and malignant tissues. Seminars in Cancer Biology, 9(2), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1006/scbi.1998.0119.
Han, Z. W., Lyv, Z. W., Cui, B., Wang, Y. Y., Cheng, J. T., Zhang, Y., … Xin, H. W. (2020). The old CEACAMs find their new role in tumor immunotherapy. Investigational New Drugs, 38(6), 1888–1898. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10637-020-00955-w.
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Thirunavukarasu, P., Talati, C., Munjal, S., Attwood, K., Edge, S. B., & Francescutti, V. (2015). Effect of Incorporation of Pretreatment Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels Into AJCC Staging for Colon Cancer on 5-Year Survival. JAMA Surgery, 150(8), 747–755. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2015.0871.
Wells, S. A., Jr., Asa, S. L., Dralle, H., Elisei, R., Evans, D. B., Gagel, R. F., … American Thyroid Association Guidelines Task Force on Medullary Thyroid, C. (2015). Revised American Thyroid Association guidelines for the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid, 25(6), 567–610. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2014.0335.
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Kopp, P. (2022). Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA). In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5166-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5166-1
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