title: Clinical value of serum TAG-72 as a tumor marker for pancreatic carcinoma. Comparison with CA 19-9.
abstract: We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the carbohydrate antigen TAG-72 as a tumor marker for pancreatic cancer compared with the serum values of CA 19-9. Forty healthy controls, 58 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, and 45 patients with chronic pancreatitis were studied. In patients with pancreatic cancer, 47/58 (81%) and 26/58 (45%) had raised serum levels of CA 19-9 and TAG-72, respectively; the sensitivity of the tests was not influenced by jaundice. In the chronic pancreatitis patients, both CA 19-9 and TAG-72 were elevated in 2/45 patients (4.4%). Both tests showed a specificity of 95%. Consequently, the sensitivity of TAG-72 was too low compared with CA 19-9. Moreover, serum TAG-72 could not detect small pancreatic cancers. High levels of both tumor markers were found in advanced stages of cancer. No advantage was found using both CA 19-9 and TAG-72 for improving the detection of pancreatic cancer. TAG-72 serum levels > 10 U/mL are closely related to unresectability of the tumor. Only 4/17 (23%) of patients with resectable tumor had high TAG-72 levels. Serum TAG-72 expression seems to be more frequent in poorly-differentiated tumors than in well-differentiated cancers (56 vs 30% positivity rate).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Semeiotica Chirurgica, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pasquali
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sperti
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: D'Andrea
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Costantino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Filipponi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pedrazzoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D006023:Glycoproteins; C047052:tumor-associated antigen 72