Breast Cancer Monitoring Profile Lab Test Information
Test 485003
Cancer Checks & Screens
Breast Cancer Monitor Profile
CA 27.29; carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA); lipid-associated sialic acid (LASA); serial monitor report
CA 27.29 is a highly polymorphic glycoprotein belonging to the mucin family and is the product of the muc-1 gene. It is most useful using serial measurements to monitor both the course of disease and response to therapy because the direct correlation of changing levels of CA 27.29 with clinical status. In patients with known metastases, a reduction in levels of this marker indicates a good response to treatment while increasing levels indicate resistance to therapy and progressive disease and justify further clinical evaluation and regular monitoring. It has also recently been shown that an elevation of CA 27.29 levels above the upper limit of normal in patients with no clinical evidence of disease is an early indicator of recurrence. An elevated serum CA 27.29 level in patients in remission of stage II or III breast cancer provided a positive predictive value of 83.3% for recurrent disease, with an average lead time of 5.3 months before recurrence was clinically established.
CEA levels are elevated in smokers; patients with inflammation including infections, inflammatory bowel disease, and pancreatitis; some patients with hypothyroidism; cirrhosis; and in some patients with noncolorectal neoplasms especially gastric, pancreatic, breast, and ovarian. CEA is not a screening test for occult cancer. Many negatives occur in patients with early carcinoma. Negative in some patients with even metastatic colorectal and other neoplasms: a minority of such patients do not have high CEA levels. Hepatotoxicity of antineoplastic drugs, as well as tumor cell necrosis or membrane damage may permit escape of CEA into the circulation and cause CEA increase; simultaneous evaluation of liver-related tests has been advocated for the former. Radiation therapy may also induce a transient rise in CEA. Benign diseases usually do not cause CEA levels >5-10 ng/mL.
Elevations in blood LASA levels have been reported in patients with mammary (63%), gastroenteric (65%), pulmonary (79%), and ovarian (94%) neoplasms as well as those with leukemia (86%), lymphoma (87%), melanoma (84%), sarcoma (97%), and Hodgkin\'s disease (91%). LASA levels can also be elevated in patients with certain benign diseases, including inflammatory disorders. Thus, like carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), the assay for LASA does not have the specificity or sensitivity necessary for cancer detection. However, recent studies have suggested that LASA levels may be useful in monitoring the course of therapy and detecting disease recurrence in certain cancer patients. In patients with mammary, ovarian, or colorectal neoplasms, a correlation has been found between LASA concentrations and therapeutic responses. Measurement of pre- and post-treatment LASA levels is advocated for determining a baseline for therapeutic monitoring. The combination of LASA and CEA measurements in patients with mammary, colorectal, or pulmonary cancer, and LASA and cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) measurements in those with ovarian cancer may improve the accuracy of assessing therapeutic responses. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that LASA concentrations are indicative of disease status in patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or cancer of the breast, ovary, or colorectum.
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Notes: The Breast Cancer Monitoring Profile
medical lab tests provided by YourLabTest.com are performed by
US certified laboratories who operate patient service centers
in most cities in the United States. Once your Breast Cancer Monitoring Profile
lab test specimens are taken your lab results are available in
24 to 48 hours. One of our physicians will be sending the results
to you directly.
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