Konishi T, et al. - The purpose of the current study was to determine whether or not patients with an elevated pre-operative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level that normalizes after colon cancer resection have a higher risk of recurrence than patients with normal a pre-operative CEA level. In the current study, it was shown that an elevated pre-operative CEA level that normalizes after resection did not portend a poor prognosis. The findings justified routine measurement of post-operative, rather than pre-operative, CEA. An increased risk for recurrence, especially within the first 12 months after surgery was evident among patients with an elevated post-operative CEA level.