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Test Code FLCEA Fluid Carcinoembryonic Antigen

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: Fluid

Preferred Specimen: Non-additive/Non-gel plastic containers with tight-fitting leak-proof lids

Other Acceptable specimens: Sterile Plastic Container, Sterile Clean Glass Container

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room temperature

7 days

Refrigerated

14 days

Frozen

6 months

Collection Instructions

  • Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures. 
  • No preservatives or additives.

 

Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions: 

Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately. 

 

UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions: 

  • Samples should be collected in sterile container.
  • No preservatives or additives.
  • Centrifuge specimens at >2500 x g for 10 minutes at room temperature.
  • Aliquot sample into plastic transport tube containing a minimum of 1.0 mL of specimen.
  • Samples must be sent refrigerated at 2-8oC.

 

Rejection Criteria

  • Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits. 
  • Specimens that are clotted, viscous or grossly hemolyzed.
  • Specimens that are collected with preservatives or additives.

Reference Values

 

Test

Age

Sex

Reference Range

CEA

All

All

N/A

 

Test method analytical performance not validated for specimen type. No reference range available. The test result must be interpreted in conjunction with the clinical context of the patient. 

Critical Values

Not applicable 

Turnaround Time

Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory. 

 

STAT Turnaround Time: Not Available as STAT test

Routine Turnaround Time: 4 hours

Testing Schedule:  24/7

Clinical Indications

Differentiate between malignant vs. non-malignant causes of fluid accumulation.

Test Components

Carcinoembryonic Antigen

CPT Codes

82378

LOINC Codes

N/A

Methodology

Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) - Roche Diagnostics

Synonyms/Keyword Search

CEA, FLCEA

Additional Information

  • No reference range avaliable. The test results should always be assessed in conjunction with patient's medical history, clinical examination and other findings.
  • Results verified by manual dilutions.

Last Review Date

6/5/2025

Volume

Preferred Volume: 2.0 mL

Minimum Volume: 1.0 mL