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

Methods

• IRMA

Specimen

• serum
• stable up to 24 hours at 2-8 degrees C
• for longer periods, store at -20 degrees C (avoid repetitive freeze-thaw cycles)

Procedure

• the test uses two antibodies
  • BC4N154 raised against antigens of human milk fat globule membranes
  • BC4E549 raised against a human breast cancer cell line

Notes

• antigen of mucin-type high molecular weight glycoprotein

More general terms

• cancer antigen CA 549 in body fluid

Additional terms

• breast cancer