Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)

The most effective way to lower CEA levels is to address the condition causing its abnormal increase. For example, if the elevated CEA is caused by cancer, surgically removing the malignant tumor allows for CEA to decrease to a normal level. Nonetheless, this could be attained if cancer has not spread to other tissues yet. Otherwise, CEA levels may remain high.

On the other hand, if the high CEA is due to other conditions outside cancer, treating the disorder could also normalize the protein secretion. Additionally, doing the following actions can aid in restoring wellness and help lower CEA levels naturally.

Stress management: Stress has long been associated with tumor growth, increasing CEA levels. On top of the treatment, avoid stress by employing techniques such as mindful breathing, meditation, and other stress-reducing activities.

Quit smoking: Studies have shown that CEA is higher among smokers than non-smokers. This can be due to chronic inflammation of the lung cells that are constantly exposed to tobacco. With that, if you got elevated CEA in your blood test, give up or avoid smoking at all costs.

Regular exercise: In a 2014 clinical trial, exercise was highlighted as a good way to reduce CEA expression. Light to moderate exercise is recommended two to three times a week. It's important to understand that heavy workouts can potentially cancel out the benefits of physical activities, especially among cancer patients.

Increase vitamin D: Maintaining sufficient vitamin D during your treatment can supplement its CEA-lowering mechanism. Spend some time receiving sunlight outdoors, ideally early in the morning. You can also include foods that help synthesize vitamin D in your diet, such as salmon, fortified foods, oranges, and egg yolk. If your doctor suspects vitamin insufficiency, you may be asked to take a vitamin D deficiency blood test.

Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids: Similar to vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids can also help suppress CEA. You can enrich your diet with this essential nutrient by leaning toward foods such as fish (mackerel, sardines, herring, salmon), seafood, and seeds, like chia and flaxseeds.
Elevated CEA caused by cancerous tumors requires proper treatment and guidance from your physician. Before taking the said actionable tips, specifically, those involving supplementation, consult your doctor first.

An anti-CEA antibody is an antibody against CEA. Such antibodies to CEA are commonly used in immunohistochemistry to identify cells expressing the glycoprotein in tissue samples. In adults, CEA is primarily expressed in cells of tumors (some malignant, some benign) but they are particularly associated with the adenocarcinomas, such as those arising in the colon, lung, breast, stomach, or pancreas. It can therefore be used to distinguish between these and other similar cancers.

For example, it can help to distinguish between adenocarcinoma of the lung and mesothelioma, a different type of lung cancer which is not normally CEA positive. Because even monoclonal antibodies to CEA tend to have some degree of cross-reactivity, occasionally giving false positive results, it is commonly employed in combination with other immunohistochemistry tests, such as those for BerEp4, WT1, and calretinin.

For cancers that highly express CEA, targeting CEA through radioimmunotherapy is one of the therapy approaches.Engineered antibodies such as single-chain Fv antibodies (sFvs) or bispecific antibodies have been used for targeting and therapy of CEA expressing tumors both in vitro and in vivo with promising results Regions of high CEA levels in the body can be detected with the monoclonal antibody arcitumomab.