CEA blood test
Carcinoembryonic antigen
In short
A typical adult CEA result is under 2.5 ng/mL (nonsmokers) and under 5 ng/mL (smokers). A small rise is common and often comes from smoking or inflammation. When it is used to follow a known condition, a steady climb across repeat tests matters more than one result. Always read your result against the range printed on your own report.
A protein some tumors release, used mainly to follow a known condition.
CEA is mostly used to follow a known condition over time, most often bowel cancer after treatment. It is not a good screening test, because many things other than cancer raise it. Smoking is a common cause of a small rise, along with inflammation of the gut, liver or lungs.
Is my CEA high or low?
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Typical range
| For | Range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Adults · nonsmokers | under 2.5 | ng/mL |
| Adults · smokers | under 5 | ng/mL |
Typical ranges for adults. Labs differ a little, so the range printed next to your result is the one to go by.
If your CEA is high
A small rise is common and often comes from smoking or inflammation. When it is used to follow a known condition, a steady climb across repeat tests matters more than one result.
Common reasons
- Smoking, which often raises CEA a little
- An inflamed bowel or stomach, including ulcers
- Liver or gallbladder problems, such as fatty liver, gallstones or liver scarring
- A chest infection or long-term lung disease
- An inflamed pancreas (pancreatitis), or diabetes
- Less often: a cancer, most often of the bowel, or its return after treatment
What can throw it off
Smoking raises CEA, and lab methods differ, so results compare best within the same lab.
Questions to take to your appointment
- 1Is this test being used to follow something, or was it a one-off?
- 2How does it compare with my earlier results?
- 3Could smoking or another condition explain it?
Read together with
Doctors rarely read CEA alone. These usually sit next to it.
Quick answers
What is the CEA blood test?
CEA (Carcinoembryonic antigen): A protein some tumors release, used mainly to follow a known condition. CEA is mostly used to follow a known condition over time, most often bowel cancer after treatment. It is not a good screening test, because many things other than cancer raise it. Smoking is a common cause of a small rise, along with inflammation of the gut, liver or lungs.
What is a normal CEA level?
For most adults, CEA is typically under 2.5 ng/mL (nonsmokers) and under 5 ng/mL (smokers). Labs differ a little, so the range printed next to your result is the one to go by.
What does a high CEA mean?
A small rise is common and often comes from smoking or inflammation. When it is used to follow a known condition, a steady climb across repeat tests matters more than one result. Common reasons include smoking, which often raises CEA a little; an inflamed bowel or stomach, including ulcers; liver or gallbladder problems, such as fatty liver, gallstones or liver scarring; and a chest infection or long-term lung disease. A doctor reads it together with your other results and how you feel.
What can affect my CEA result?
Smoking raises CEA, and lab methods differ, so results compare best within the same lab.
What should I ask my doctor about my CEA?
Questions worth taking to the appointment: Is this test being used to follow something, or was it a one-off? How does it compare with my earlier results? Could smoking or another condition explain it?
What this page can’t do
It reads each number on its own.
Doctors read results together — ALT with AST, ferritin with hemoglobin, TSH with free T4. A pattern says more than any single flag.
It doesn't know you.
Your age, your medicines, how you feel and your last result all change what a number means.
It doesn't remember.
Close this page and your results are gone. That's on purpose: nothing was ever sent to us.
We also make Vita: Health Coach, an app for those parts. It reads your whole report with your medicines and history in mind, answers follow-up questions in plain words, and keeps your reports in one place — for you and for the people you look after.
Vita: Health Coach on the App StoreSources
- MedlinePlus — CEA blood test
- MedlinePlus — CEA test
- ABIM — Laboratory test reference ranges (January 2026)
Stuck on a word? See the medical words. How we choose our sources. More about Vita Health Coach.