Zhu D, Qiao J, Tang S, et al. - Researchers conducted this retrospective study to explore the connection between serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and the severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) patients. Participants in the study were 41 Chinese CADM patients without malignancy. Serum CEA levels, clinical and laboratory findings have been obtained. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that an independent risk factor for rapidly progressive (RP)-ILD was an elevated serum CEA level. Ferritin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels and lung CT scores were correlated with CEA levels in CADM patients. In high-resolution CT, elevated CEA levels are also connected to the organizing pneumonia pattern and lower lung zone consolidation. In addition, the cumulative survival rate in the group with a CEA level > 8.75 μg/l was significantly lower than in the group with a CEA level < 8.75 μg/l. In patients with CADM, elevated serum CEA levels are common, and higher serum CEA levels are a powerful predictor of RP-ILD and poor prognosis in those patients.