title: [Value of the determination of CA 15-3 in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion].
abstract: In 160 consecutive patients with pleural shedding, antigen CA 15-3 values in pleural fluid were determined, in a prospective way using monoclonal antibodies (115D8 and DF3). In 49 patients with malignant pleural shedding, the mean value of CA 15-3 (47.6 U/ml) was significantly higher (p less than 0.01) to the values in the 111 benign ones (12.9 U/ml). Its sensibility for malignity, with a trough level of 27 U/ml, was of 37% with an specificity of 96%. When a specificity of 100% was required its sensibility (18%) was significantly lower to the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (33%), measured simultaneously with comparative purposes. The simultaneous determination of both markers raised sensibility to 39%, without reaching statistical signification. In the ten patients whose pleural sheddings was secondary to breast carcinoma, both minimum (15 U/ml) as medium (110 U/ml) values, as well as CA 15-3 sensibility (80%), were higher to the ones found in the rest of patients with shedding of malignant origin, but without a clear superiority over the values obtained with CEA. Based on these results, we conclude that the usefulness of the determination, as a tumoral marker, in pleural fluid, of CA 15-3 is lower than CEA and that its simultaneous determination seems not justified. We think that its specific usefulness in pleural sheddings secondaries to breast carcinomas deserves a study with a bigger sample.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Neumología y Servicio de Laboratorio, Hospital de Alicante.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García-Sevila
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Espasa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martín-Serrano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen
vernacular_title: Valor de la determinación del CA 15-3 en el diagnóstico de los derrames pleurales malignos.