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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Feb 15, 2026; 18(2): 114066
Published online Feb 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i2.114066
Published online Feb 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i2.114066
Computed tomography with carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in diagnosing lymph node metastasis of early gastric cancer
Hong-Zhi Chen, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233004, Anhui Province, China
Ping Zhang, Department of Radiology, Huai’an Hospital of Huai’an City, Huai’an Clinical Medical College of Jiangsu University, Huai’an 223200, Jiangsu Province, China
Jun Ma, Department of Ultrasound, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou 221009, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Hong-Zhi Chen and Jun Ma.
Author contributions: Chen HZ and Ma J contribute equally to this study as co-first authors; Chen HZ and Ma J contributed to research design, data collection, data analysis, and paper writing; Zhang P was responsible for research design, funding application, data analysis, reviewing and editing, communication coordination, ethical review, copyright and licensing, and follow-up.
Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Approval No.[2024]KY033.
Informed consent statement: All research participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study registration.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest is associated with this work.
Data sharing statement: No other data were available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ping Zhang, Deputy Director, Department of Radiology, Huai’an Hospital of Huai’an City, Huai’an Clinical Medical College of Jiangsu University, No. 19 Shanyang Avenue, Huai’an 223200, Jiangsu Province, China. 3461905@163.com
Received: September 28, 2025
Revised: November 4, 2025
Accepted: December 1, 2025
Published online: February 15, 2026
Processing time: 127 Days and 17.7 Hours
Revised: November 4, 2025
Accepted: December 1, 2025
Published online: February 15, 2026
Processing time: 127 Days and 17.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study identified that elevated computed tomography (CT) values and increased short-axis diameter of lymph nodes, along with raised serum carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels, are key indicators for lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer. Combining anatomical imaging with tumor biomarker analysis improved diagnostic sensitivity and reduced the missed diagnosis rate by 6.67%-8.33% compared to using CT alone. These findings highlight the value of integrating morphological and biological data for more accurate metastasis detection, filling a gap in current diagnostic approaches and highlights the need for multimodal strategies in optimizing individualized treatment decisions.