Abstract

Introduction : The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommends periodic postoperative CEA examination because postoperative CEA levels have a prognostic value for assessing cancer recurrence. Several factors affecting CEA levels in colorectal cancer patients are: tumor size, tumor stage, degree of tumor differentiation, liver function, location of tumor, intestinal obstruction, smoking history and metastatic status.

This study aims to assess CEA value based on age, location and histopathology degree of tumors factors in colorectal cancer patients at Haji Adam Malik General Hospital Medan in 2011-2015.

Methods : This study is an descriptive analytical study. Data were taken from patient's medical record with diagnosis of colorectal cancer that taken by total sampling at Haji Adam Malik General Hospital Medan from January 2011 until December 2015. The data obtained then presented descriptively and analyzed by Mann Whitney test and Kruskal Wallis test using SPSS software ver.20.

Results : Mann Whitney test results concluded there was no difference in CEA levels before treatment according to age in colorectal cancer patients (p = 0.613).

The result of Kruskal Wallis test showed there was no difference of CEA level before therapy according to tumor location, and there was a difference of CEA level before therapy according to tumor histopathology degree in colorectal cancer patients (p = 0,184 and 0,031, respectively).

Conclusion : There was no difference in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels before therapy according to age and location of colorectal cancer, but there was a difference in CEA levels before therapy according to histopathologic degrees of colorectal cancer.