Are serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels associated with carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese men?
OBJECTIVE: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a serological marker of malignant tumors, may show a modest increase under some nonmalignant conditions, such as ageing and cigarette smoking. We have investigated whether serum CEA levels are associated with early carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional data from 4181 male individuals who underwent general health screening were analyzed. The interquartile of cutoff values of serum CEA levels were 1.0, 1.6, and 2.5 ng/mL. Cigarette smoking was associated with increased serum CEA levels in a dose- and duration-dependent manner, and this association was more prominent in current than former smokers. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, serum lipid and glucose profiles, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and smoking habits showed that the first, second, third, and fourth CEA quartiles were associated with carotid plaque with an odds ratio of 1 (reference), 1.25 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.52, P=0.02
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