Request criteria for carcinoembryonic antigen at the Florida Hospital (July 2012-July 2013)
Abstract
Cancer is the second cause of death in Uruguay, colorectal cancer being one of the most frequent. Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) is a particularly recommended for, not for screening.
This study aims to determine the technical criteria that supports the request for the CEA in the Florida Hospital in the period between July 2012 and July 2013 by conducting a transversal observational study that analysed a sample made up of 500 CEA determinations. Variables were the following: age, personal history of colorectal cancer, reason for request and physician (specialist or GP) who requested the study. 494 medical records were analysed. Average and median age were 61.2 and 63 years old, ranging from 18 to 92 years old, rank being 74. 10.9% of users had a personal history of Colorectal cancer. Reasons to request were: colorectal cancer oncologic follow-up (9.5%), initial assessment of colorectal cancer (1.4%), routine practice (13.2%) and other (75.9%).
29.1% of specialists and 16.6% of GPs requested the studies, whereas in 54.3% of cases it was not possible to find out who had requested it.
When users with a history of colorectal cancer are excluded, specialists and GPs requested 19.7% and 18.5% of studies respectively, and in 61.8% of cases it was not possible to find out who had requested it.
Conclusions: in most cases (89.1%) no oncologic criteria was used to request CEA; it was run for non-oncologic patients, some of them when they were young and no difference was found between specialists and GPs, although it was not possible to find out who had requested the study in a high percentage of cases.
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