Director, McGill's Cancer Centre, Montreal, Quebec.
Phil Gold and Samuel Freedman discovered in 1965 a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), produced during growth of cancer cells of the digestive system. This antigen is produced in tumors and fetal and embryonic gut, pancreas and liver cells, but not by normal adult cells. CEA enters the blood and thus a blood test or radioimmunoassay was developed that can indicate the presence, spread or reoccurence of cancer. The CEA assay has proved most useful in assessing the extent of a cancer, its growth rate and response to treatment, but not reliable in testing for the presence of tumors, since early tumors do not produce enough CEA to be detected. The discovery of CEA opened the new field of onco-fetal antigens. Recipient 1982 Manning Principal Award, and Gairdner Award in 1978. Officer of the Order of Canada, 1978.
Sources: The Manning Awards; McGill Communiqué;
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