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Cancer marker CA 242 in the blood
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Reference values (norm) for the concentration of CA 242 in blood serum are less than 20 IU/ml.
CA 242 is a glycoprotein that is expressed on the same mucin apoprotein as CA 19-9. In benign tumors, CA 242 expression is low, while in malignant tumors its expression is significantly higher compared to CA 19-9. In this regard, in benign gastrointestinal diseases, only isolated cases of increased CA 242 concentration in the blood are possible, while most patients with increased CA 19-9 concentration in the blood suffer from biliary tract diseases, pancreatitis and liver diseases. CA 242 is a new tumor marker for diagnostics and evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment of pancreatic, colon and rectal cancer.
The sensitivity of the CA 242 marker in pancreatic cancer is higher than the sensitivity of CA 19-9 at all stages of the disease (at stage 1 according to Dukes - 41 and 29%, respectively). In colon and rectal cancer, CA 242 is more sensitive than other tumor markers (sensitivity 40%, specificity 90%; sensitivity of CA 19-9 is 23%). The combined use of CA 242 and CA 19-9 does not increase the diagnostic sensitivity of the test. The combination of CA 242 and CEA increases the sensitivity of the test for diagnosing colon and rectal cancer by 25-40%. The survival rate of patients with colon cancer with a CA 242 level of more than 20 IU/ml after surgery is less than 1.5 years, with a level of less than 20 IU/ml - more than 5 years.
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