CONTEXT:

The relevance of colorectal adenocarcinoma lies in its high incidence, with the liver being the organ most frequently affected by distant metastases. Liver metastases occur in 40 to 50 percent of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma, accounting for approximately 80 percent of deaths in the first three postoperative years. Nevertheless, despite this, they are occasionally susceptible to curative treatment.

OBJECTIVE:

The present investigation focused on the relationship between the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in gallbladder bile and the presence of liver metastases secondary to colorectal adenocarcinoma.

DESIGN:

Diagnostic test study.

SETTING:

Surgical Gastroenterology Discipline at the Säo Paulo Hospital, Säo Paulo, Brazil.

SAMPLE:

Forty-five patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma were studied, 30 without liver metastases (group I), and 15 with liver metastases (group II). Diagnosis of liver metastases was made through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography during arterial portography. Samples of peripheral blood, portal system blood, and gallbladder bile were collected from patients during the surgical procedure. A control group composed of 18 organ donors underwent the same material collection procedures...