CEA is a polymorphic cell surface glycoprotein produced by the fetal colon. It is a non-organ specific tumor-associated antigen, and it is also expressed in a variety of other normal tissues at very low levels.
The degree of staining is generally related to the degree of differentiation of the tumor, and the low degree of tumor cell differentiation tends to be weaker staining.
It is an important marker of epithelial tumors