An Alternative Method for Screening Gastric Cancer Based on Serum Levels of CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4

The goal of this study was to create a novel method for screening gastric cancer (GC) based on serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and cancer antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) tumor markers.

Retrospectively, the predictive value for GC was calculated using a logistic analysis on serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4 from 216 GC and 49 benign patients. The predictive value was used to make a recommendation system on whether further GC screening was necessary. Prospectively, 80 GC and 33 benign patients were used to assess the value of this method.

The recommendation system to determine whether additional GC screening was necessary consisted of three grades: grade I, no proposals; grade II, proposals; grade III, strong proposals. Additional screening was suggested when the predictive value was ≤0.700 (grade I), 0.700–0.850 (grade II), and >0.850 (grade III). Of the total 216 GC patients, 20.4, 27.8, and 51.9% were classified as grades I, II, and III, respectively. Of the 49 benign cases, 57.1, 32.7, and 10.2% were classified as grades I, II, and III, respectively. Of the 80 prospective GC patients, 17.3, 28.4, and 54.3% were classified as grades I, II, and III, respectively. Of the 33 prospective benign cases, 54.6, 33.3, and 12.1% were classified as grades I, II, and III, respectively.

The new screening recommendation system based on serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4 is an effective approach for detecting GC.