Comparison of CA 72-4 with CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen in the serodiagnostics of gastrointestinal malignancies.
Serum levels of the new tumor-associated marker CA 72-4 were measured in healthy controls (n = 64) and patients with benign (n = 410) or malignant (n = 199) gastrointestinal diseases. A cut-off limit of 4 U/ml was established. Tumor-indicating sensitivity was compared with that of the conventional markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 19-9. In serodiagnostic evaluations CA 72-4 was clearly inferior to CA 19-9 in pancreatic carcinomas (22% versus 82%; all stages) and to CEA in colorectal cancer (32% versus 58%; all stages), with no appreciable diagnostic gain from combined determination. However, in gastric carcinoma CA 72-4 identified 59% of all patients (CA 19-9, 52%; CEA, 25%), and a combination of CA 72-4 and CA 19-9 detected as many as 70%. Positive results correlated roughly with tumor size. Compared with the other two tumor markers, CA 72-4 had a very high specificity (98%) in benign diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including inflammatory processes, so that elevated serum levels of CA 72-4 should always be taken seriously.
Heptner
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G
Dept. of Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, FRG.
Domschke
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S
Domschke
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W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology
D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen