title: CA-50 and CA-19.9 as tumour markers: which is preferable?
abstract: CA-50 (Kit IRMA Stena Diagnostic, cut-off value: 16 U/ml) and CA-19.9 (Kit SPAC Mallinckrodt were compared in a prospective study including 323 cancer patients (56% metastatic) and 120 patients with non neoplastic disease. The CA-50 and CA-19.9 sensitivities were 41.8% and 39% respectively; the CA-50 sensitivity was greater in the cancers of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract (61.3% versus 51.6% alpha less than 0.00001) and did not differ in the other cases. The CA-19.9 specificity was greater (77.5% versus 64.2% alpha less than 0.0001), due to a greater specificity in the case of respiratory diseases (86.7% versus 66.7% alpha less than 0.0001). A good correlation was found between the serum levels of the two markers in each group of patients (cancer r = 0.78, alpha less than 0.001; benign diseases r = 0.69, alpha less than 0.001). This study has shown a close correlation between these two markers; the reliabilities of CA-50 and CA-19.9 were similar, particularly in the gastro-intestinal diseases (58.3% versus 51.3%). In conclusion, CA-50 and CA-19.9 are both good markers of cancers of the GI tract. Their simultaneous assay would be useless.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Institut Jean Godinot, Reims, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maréchal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berthiot
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Legrand
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Larbre
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deltour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor