Cancer Letters

Cancer Letters

Volume 110, Issues 1–2, 20 December 1996, Pages 137-144
Cancer Letters

Clinical evaluation of potential usefulness of CEA, CA 15-3, and MCA in follow-up of breast cancer patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3835(96)04473-4Get rights and content

Abstract

The potential usefulness of MCA, CA 15-3 and CEA in monitoring of breast cancer patients was evaluated in 135 female patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer. The patients were classified into two groups as follows: group of patients with no evidence of disease, NED; and group of patients with progressive disease, PD. In total, 2106 measurements of CEA, CA 15-3, and MCA were performed using an enzyme immunoassay. Serum levels of all three markers in the NED group differed significantly from those of patients with PD. The observed differences in the sensitivity and specificity of CEA, CA 15-3, and MCA tests were not significant. The serum concentrations of a particular marker correlated well with the concentrations of the other two markers, except when CEA was correlated with MCA or CA 15-3 in NED group patients. The elevation of tumor markers preceded by some 7 months the clinical evidence of dissemination, and marker levels reflected at a high percentage the response to therapy in PD patients. Therefore, this clinical study confirmed that MCA, CA 15-3 and also CEA are suited to discriminate between disease and disease-free periods, and also validated the usefulness of markers for treatment response monitoring.

References (40)

  • M. Barak et al.

    CA 15-3, TPA and MCA as markers for breast cancer

    Eur. J. Cancer

    (1990)
  • A.R. Miserez et al.

    Clinical value of a mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen in monitoring breast cancer patients in comparison with CA 15-3

    Eur. J. Cancer

    (1991)
  • D. Wang

    Serum CEA in the diagnosis and prognosis of women with breast cancer

    Cancer

    (1984)
  • S.E. Bates

    Clinical applications of serum tumor markers

    Ann. Intern. Med.

    (1991)
  • F. Boccardo et al.

    Preliminary study on serum levels of mucinous-like cancer antigen (MCA) in patients with breast cancer disease: comparison with CEA

    Int. J. Biol. Markers

    (1991)
  • R. Colomer et al.

    Circulating tumor marker levels in advanced breast carcinoma correlate with the extent of metastatic disease

    Cancer

    (1989)
  • M. Eskelinen et al.

    A new tumor marker MCA in breast cancer diagnosis

    Anticancer Res.

    (1988)
  • M. Eskelinen et al.

    Use of tumor markers CA 15-3, MCA and CEA in breast cancer diagnostics

    J. Tumor Mar. Oncol.

    (1989)
  • S.P. Frenette et al.

    The diagnostic value of CA 27-29, CA 15-3, mucin-like carcinoma antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen and CA 19-9 in breast and gastrointestinal malignancies

    Tumor Biol.

    (1994)
  • M. Gion et al.

    The tumor associated antigen CA 15-3 in primary breast cancer

    Br. J. Cancer

    (1991)
  • P. Gold et al.

    Demonstration of tumorspecific antigens in human colonic carcinoma by immunological tolerance and adsorption techniques

    J. Exp. Med.

    (1965)
  • D.M. Goldenberg et al.

    Carcinoembryonic antigen: its role as a marker in the management of cancer

    J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol.

    (1981)
  • J.R. Harris et al.

    Cancer of the breast

  • D.F. Hayes et al.

    Comparison of circulating CA 15-3 and carcinoembryonic antigen levels in patients with breast cancer

    J. Clin. Oncol.

    (1986)
  • J.E. Henney et al.

    Breast cancer

  • J. Hilkens et al.

    MAM-6, a new serum marker for breast cancer monitoring

    Cancer Res.

    (1986)
  • W. Jaeger

    The early detection of disseminated (metastasized) breast cancer by serial tumor marker measurements

    Eur. J. Cancer Prev.

    (1993)
  • S. Kudlacek

    Tumormarker. Der derzeitige diagnostische Stand

    Wien. Med. Wochenschr.

    (1988)
  • D.W. Kufe et al.

    Differential reactivity of a novel monoclonal antibody (DF3) with human versus benign breast tumors

    Hybridoma

    (1984)
  • V. Laurence et al.

    Use of mucin like cancer associated antigen (MCA) in the management of breast cancer

    Br. J. Cancer

    (1991)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text