Alcohol Use, Coronary Heart Disease and Hypertension Modify the Predictive Accuracy of Pre-Operative CEA for TNM Staging in Chinese Colorectal Cancer Patients

Preoperative CEA exhibits robust predictive accuracy for TNM staging in Chinese patients with colorectal cancer; however, this performance is critically modulated by alcohol use, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Systematic incorporation of these three effect modifiers into preoperative risk-stratification algorithms will refine staging accuracy and enable patient-tailored therapeutic strategies.