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Carbohydrate antigen CA-72-4 in blood
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
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Reference values (norm) for the concentration of CA-72-4 in blood serum are 0-4.6 IU/ml.
CA-72-4 is a mucin-like glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 400,000. It is expressed in many fetal tissues and is virtually undetectable in adult tissues. CA-72-4 levels increase in the serum of patients with malignant glandular tumors such as gastric, colon, ovarian, and lung carcinoma. Particularly high blood concentrations of CA-72-4 are found in gastric carcinoma. At a cutoff point of 3 IU/ml, CA-72-4 has a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 48% for gastric carcinoma when differentiating it from benign gastrointestinal diseases. CA-72-4 is a useful marker for monitoring the course of the disease and the effectiveness of therapy for gastric carcinoma.
Determination of CA-72-4 is important in mucinous ovarian carcinoma. In patients with serous ovarian cancer, elevated levels of CA-72-4 are detected in 42-54%, and in 70-80% of cases with mucinous ovarian cancer. In this regard, CA-72-4 should be used as a specific marker of mucinous ovarian cancer, and the combined determination of CA-125 and CA-72-4 should be used as an additional method in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ovarian tumors (an elevated level of CA-72-4 indicates a malignant process with a probability of more than 90%).
Increased concentrations of CA-72-4 are occasionally detected in benign and inflammatory processes.
Determination of the content of CA 72-4 in serum is used:
- for monitoring bronchogenic non-small cell lung cancer;
- to monitor treatment and control the course of gastric cancer;
- for the diagnosis of recurrent gastric cancer;
- for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ovarian tumors;
- for monitoring treatment and control of the course of mucinous ovarian cancer.
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