cancer antigen CA 549 in serum

Reference interval: - < 15.5 arbitrary units Clinical significance: - elevated in 50% of patients with stage IV breast cancer, & in 71% of patients with metastatic disease - most useful for monitoring the course of women with metastatic breast cancer Sensitivity: 0.46 Specificity: 0.94 Predictive value of a positive test: 0.9 Increases: - metastatic breast cancer Method: - IRMA Specimen: 1) serum 2) stable up to 24 hours at 2-8 degrees C 3) for longer periods, store at -20 degrees C (avoid repetitive freeze-thaw cycles) Procedure: - the test uses two antibodies a) BC4N154 raised against antigens of human milk fat globule membranes b) BC4E549 raised against a human breast cancer cell line Notes: - antigen of mucin-type high molecular weight glycoprotein

References

Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, 3rd ed. Teitz ed., W.B. Saunders, 1995