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The classic 'CEA' tumour marker measured in blood, also present on the cell surface where ADCs can reach it.
CEACAM5 is carcinoembryonic antigen, a GPI-anchored adhesion molecule that is shed into circulation as the serum CEA marker and also sits on the cell surface where ADCs and T-cell engagers can reach it. It is overexpressed in colorectal (80-90% moderate-to-high by IHC), gastric (50-60%), lung adenocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancers; only 20-25% of non-squamous NSCLC met the high-expression threshold used in CARMEN. Tusamitamab ravtansine failed in phase 3 NSCLC (CARMEN-LC03), a setback that raised questions about payload choice and patient selection rather than the target itself. CEACAM5 remains pursued with T-cell engagers and next-generation ADCs. The simple version is the classic CEA blood marker, now also being used as a surface target for drug delivery.
In plain words · The classic 'CEA' tumour marker measured in blood, also present on the cell surface where ADCs can reach it.
The classic 'CEA' tumour marker measured in blood, also present on the cell surface where ADCs can reach it.
GPI-anchored adhesion molecule; shed into circulation as the serum CEA marker.
4 products aim at CEACAM5: antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and vaccines. Because it sits on the outside of the cell, it can be reached from the bloodstream: antibodies flag the cell, ADCs deliver a toxin, radioligands deliver radiation, and CAR-T or bispecifics bring a T cell.
Tumour-associated overexpression: 3 cell-killing or cell-finding medicines (SGM-101, Precemtabart tocentecan, Tusamitamab ravtansine) aim at the antigen, which HPA finds stained high in 3 normal tissues; the medicine relies on the tumour carrying more of it than the normal tissue it shares it with. HPA CEACAM5: RNA tissue enriched (intestine 920 nTPM); high antibody staining in 3 normal tissues; highest cancer staining colorectal cancer (6 of 10 high). Distribution: 3 cancer families in the corpus carry a prevalence row, label threshold or catalogue link for it (Colorectal cancer, Lung cancer (all types), Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer); Open Targets associates it with 0 specific cancer types at or above 0.5. (Rule 5 of scripts/fetch-target-specificity.ts.)
Sources: Human Protein Atlas CEACAM5 tissue; Human Protein Atlas CEACAM5 pathology; Open Targets ENSG00000105388 associations
First described 1987. Earliest sequence paper UniProt cites for the protein: Beauchemin et al, Mol. Cell. Biol, 1987, "Isolation and characterization of full-length functional cDNA clones for human carcinoembryonic antigen". Source.
What a pathology or genomic report can say about this target, each with the thresholds approvals use.
GPI-anchored adhesion molecule; shed into circulation as the serum CEA marker.
RNA: tissue enriched (intestine 920 nTPM), detected in many normal tissues.
Medium: Esophagus, Oral mucosa, Stomach.
RNA cancer enhanced: Colon Adenocarcinoma 1,966 pTPM, Rectum Adenocarcinoma 2,245 pTPM.
HPA CEACAM5 tissue · HPA CEACAM5 pathology · HPA protein class: CD markers
Human Protein Atlas version 25.1, antibody staining at reliability approved, enhanced or supported; used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Staining counts are patients per level in the atlas cohort, not population prevalence.
| Cancer | Prevalence | Measure | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal cancer | 80-90% | IHC, moderate-high | Wikipedia | |
| Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer | 50-60% | IHC, any expression | Wikipedia | |
| Non-small-cell lung cancer | 20-25% | High expression (>=50% cells 2+/3+) | Non-squamous, CARMEN threshold | Wikipedia |
Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.
OSE2101 is an experimental cancer vaccine from OSE Immunotherapeutics in phase 3 trials for non-small-cell lung cancer, aimed at HER2 and CEACAM5.
Precemtabart tocentecan is an experimental antibody-drug conjugate from EMD Serono Research & Development Institute in phase 3 trials for colorectal cancer, aimed at CEACAM5.
SGM-101 is an experimental monoclonal antibody from Surgimab in phase 3 trials for colorectal cancer, aimed at CEACAM5.
Tusamitamab ravtansine was Sanofi's ADC against the classic CEA tumour marker, stopped for futility in lung cancer in 2023.
Query for this target: (TITLE:"CEACAM5" OR ABSTRACT:"CEACAM5") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about CEACAM5, not a curated reading list.
Shares Re-map the tumour's surface proteins before choosing the next antibody drug, Lineage plasticity & neuroendocrine transformation and the tag adc-target.
Shares Re-map the tumour's surface proteins before choosing the next antibody drug, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag adc-target.
Shares CEACAM5 expression, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag biomarker.
Shares Re-map the tumour's surface proteins before choosing the next antibody drug, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag adc-target.
Shares Colorectal cancer, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag biomarker.
Shares Colorectal cancer, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag biomarker.
Shares Dual-Target CAR-NK Cells for Biomarker-Selected Advanced Colorectal Cancer, Dual-Targeting CAR-NK Cells in Biomarker-Selected Advanced Colorectal Cancer, OSE2101, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University and the tag adc-target.
Shares Colorectal cancer, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tag biomarker.