The Relationship Between Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Epicardial Adipose Tissue

Abstract

Inflammation plays a key role in the development and progression of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and cancer. [1][2][3] Numerous inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and lipoproteinassociated phospholipase A 2 (Lp-PLA 2 ), as well as alterations of gut microbiota, have been reported to be associated with an increased risk of CMD. 4,5 CRP is the most extensively studied marker of inflammation and is most widely used in daily clinical practice. Yet the precise role of CRP in the assessment of cardiometabolic risk continues to evolve. 1,6,7 However, recent studies have suggested that EAT and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are novel surrogates of inflammation that contribute to the development of CMD. 8,9 EAT is an accumulation of visceral fat that covers 80% of the heart surface. EAT plays